http://www.thejakartapost.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]&irec=0
State aircraft maker declared bankrupt Tony Hotland and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Bandung State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara (PTDI) was on Monday declared bankrupt by Indonesia's commercial court system. The court said PTDI was on the verge of demise and had several long-overdue debts but PTDI said it would appeal to the Supreme Court. The company said its defense would continue to be that it was still operating and had orders from overseas that would see it through to at least 2017. The lawsuit against the aircraft manufacturer was filed last month by some 6,500 former employers who were dismissed in 2003. They were told then the company was being restructured. The employees have demanded the company pay their pension funds and retirement allowances as per their last salaries. PTDI currently employs 3,200 employees and has said it has no further obligations to pay said pension or retirement funds, which amount to some Rp 200 billion (US$21.5 million). The presiding panel of judges said the evidence against Bandung-based PTDI was incriminating. Presiding judge Andriani Nurdin said a document issued by the Committee for Central Labor Disputes (P4P) in January 2004 showed the company had been required to pay the compensation. A warning letter issued by the then-manpower and transmigration minister in October 2004 obligated PTDI to pay the funds within 30 days. The court also saw the company had outstanding debts to other creditors including Bank Mandiri at Rp 125 billion, as well as individuals Supriadi Jasa at Rp 79 million and Neli Ratna Sari at Rp 15 million. The court found the company's defense was baseless. "The document simply shows estimates that are not supported by adequate infrastructure and capital," judge Heru Pramono said, adding that there was no reason left to sustain the company. The court appointed curator Taufik Nugroho to appraise the company's standing assets and Zulfahmi as the overseeing judge. Legal expert Frans H. Winarta said a bankruptcy status would force the company to pay back all of its debts and compensation to its current employees. If the value of its assets is lower than the overall debts, the company should pay according to a proportion based on the amount of debt of each creditor, Frans said. "But this cannot be executed until there's been a verdict from the Supreme Court." A pioneer in Asia's aviation industry, PTDI was set up as PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nurtanio in 1976 with then-research and technology minister BJ Habibie as president director. The 1997 Asian financial crisis forced it to restructure and reduce its payroll from almost 10,000 to less than 4,000. In Bandung, West Java, company spokesmen Rakhendi Priyatna said the company was "starting to pick up its pieces with orders coming from in and out of the country". "A bankruptcy verdict will lead to complaints and even penalties regarding our current production," he said. Workers at the company appeared unaffected but said they deplored the verdict. They said they believed the company would win the case at the Supreme Court. printer friendly Post Your Comments Comments could also be sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ++++ http://www.indopos.co.id/index.php?act=detail_c&id=302508 Kamis, 06 Sept 2007, Industri Pesawat Terbang, Nasibmu Kini Salah satu industri strategis yang sempat dibanggakan Indonesia rontok. Di masa lalu PT DI -dulu bernama PT Nurtanio- (pabrik pesawat terbang) yang berbasis di Bandung itu dielu-elukan sebagai simbol bangsa ini untuk berdiri sama tinggi dengan bangsa-bangsa maju lain yang berbasis teknologi canggih. Kini semua itu sangat mungkin tinggal kenangan. PT DI dinyatakan pailit alias bangkrut oleh vonis pengadilan niaga. Sebabnya, antara lain, PT DI tidak mampu memberikan gaji dan pesangon terhadap karyawan yang dirumahkan. Manajemen PT DI sebenarnya mau bertahan. Bahkan, mereka menolak dinyatakan pailit. Sebab, kasus "merumahkan" banyak karyawan itu bukan disebabkan manajemen PT DI mengalami krisis keuangan, melainkan untuk rasionalisasi. Perampingan. Itu bisa terjadi di perusahaan atau industri mana pun. Bahkan, industri pesawat terbang raksasa Amerika seperti Boeing pun pernah melakukan PHK (pemutusan hubungan kerja) terhadap dua ribu karyawannya. Dengan begitu, perampingan jumlah karyawan di Boeing dapat menyehatkan manajemen. Boeing pun tetap berkembang sebagai industri pesawat terbang komersial terbesar di dunia. Bagaimana dengan PT DI? Layakkah dipailitkan? Sudah benarkah vonis pengadilan niaga Selasa lalu? Masyarakat tidak banyak tahu bagaimana sesungguhnya kondisi internal pabrik pesawat yang perkembangannya di masa lalu banyak dirintis B.J. Habibie -mantan Menristek, mantan Wapres, dan mantan presiden. Masyarakat hanya tahu permukaannya. Yakni, PT DI bergejolak. Sejak tiga tahun silam -meski terus beroperasi (membuat beberapa pesawat terbang)- PT DI terus dilanda demo karyawan yang dirumahkan. Berbagai upaya selalu buntu. Karyawan menuntut gaji dan pesangon. Sedangkan PT DI enggan membayar tuntutan karyawannya. Ketika tidak ada lagi jalan tengah atau solusi, pihak karyawan mengajukan permohonan ke pengadilan niaga agar PT DI divonis pailit. Namun, yang mengecewakan dari detik demi detik krisis keuangan yang menimpa PT DI ialah tidak maksimalnya upaya pemerintah. Pemerintah seolah membiarkannya. Kementerian BUMN juga terkesan lepas tangan. Sekurang-kurangnya tidak ada upaya maksimal dan strategis untuk menyelamatkan PT DI. Bukti paling aktual ialah respons yang seadanya. Bahkan terlambat. Menteri BUMN Sofyan Djalil hanya mengaku terkejut terhadap vonis pailit. Lalu, kata dia, pemerintah akan melakukan perlawanan terhadap vonis pailit itu dengan mengajukan kasasi ke Mahkamah Agung (MA). Padahal, kalau memang disepakati bahwa PT DI adalah industri strategis yang menjadi kebanggaan bangsa menguasai teknologi pesawat terbang, PT DI masih bisa diselamatkan. Misalnya, mengundang investor dengan perlakuan khusus yang meringankan untuk menyehatkan kembali PT DI yang sakit parah. Habibie pun pernah menyanggupi untuk menyehatkan PT DI meski enggan kembali ke sana. Dua tahun silam Habibie bersedia menggandeng industri pesawat terbang dari negara lain guna menyehatkan industri pesawat terbang yang pernah dibesarkannya itu. Tetapi, tidak ada respons serius dari pemerintah. Jangankan menindaklanjuti kesediaan Habibie, mengundang dia untuk berbicara serius pun tidak dilakukan. Kasihan benar nasib PT PDI. Nasibnya kini tidak lebih baik dari pabrik kecap atau tahu tempe. Seolah bukan industri strategis yang tidak memberi kontribusi apa pun terhadap simbol nasional dan kebanggaan bangsa.
