LBH OPENS POST TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS FROM CAFTA VICTIMS

Jakarta, Feb 22 (ANTARA) - The Legal Aid Institute (LBH) will establish a command post to receive complaints from those who are adversely affected by the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement.

LBH chief for case settlement affairs Kiagus Ahmady BS said here on Monday the command post would begin receiving complaints on Thursday, February 25, 2010, coinciding with its launching.

The command post would be opened at the LBH secretariat on Jalan Diponegoro 74, Jakarta, he said.

He said the LBH has been receiving reports of layoffs over the past few days, but it could not yet be ascertained whether or not the matter was caused by the impact of the imposition of CAFTA.

"If the layoffs have taken place due to the implementation of the free trade accord, it is feared that CAFTA would be made a reason for firms to lay off workers," Ahmady said.

LBH Jakarta Chief Nurkholis Hidayat said in a press statement meanwhile that the implementation of CAFTA could have a systemic impact on the country's labor affairs.

"The low competitive edge of the country's industries is feared to lead industries to massively lay off workers for efficiency or bankruptcy reasons," he said.