If compliance with local labor law is something the US Department of State is promoting, then why this?
The US Embassy in Indonesia said it was still studying an order by the Supreme Court issued in April last year, related to the dismissal of Indra Taufiq, a former driver of the US Consulate in Medan, North Sumatra, after ruling that diplomatic immunity did not apply in the case.The court ordered the embassy to pay Indra severance in accordance with Indonesian labor law — which states a worker is entitled to a year’s salary plus a month for every year’s service — after he was allegedly fired without proper cause.
The embassy said it would study the case in accordance with international law.
“We are still studying the case from the perspective of international law, and we will work with related Indonesian institutions,” US Embassy spokesman Troy Pederson was quoted as saying by Majalah Detik on Monday.
Indra had worked at the consulate for 11 years before he lost his job on July 26, 2011. But the embassy did not pay Indra severance as required by Indonesian law when an employer cuts ties with an employee.
Indra subsequently filed a lawsuit against the US missions in Medan and Jakarta at the Medan Industrial Relations Court (PHI) and eventually won the case in the Supreme Court.
Indra said since the court ruled in his favor on April 2 last year, he had gone to the consulate three times to claim what is due to him, but the consulate refused to comply with the ruling.
“I’m just going to wait. Maybe God has not shown the way,” Indra said.
