Activists demand increase in wages<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): About 70 labor activists and students pressed
\ntheir demand yesterday that the government raise Indonesian
\nworkers' daily minimum wage to Rp 7,000 (US$3) during a
\ndemonstration at the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The activists, from the Center for Indonesian Workers'
\nStruggle (PPBI) and Solidarity of Indonesian Students for
\nDemocracy (SMID), received the full support of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party (PDI) faction in the House.<\/p>\n
Before being welcomed by legislators Aberson Marle Sihaloho
\nand Ignatius Suwardi, the banner-waving activists, which came
\nfrom several major cities in Java, staged a sit-in protest in the
\nHouse foyer.<\/p>\n
\"Raise wages and bring prices down\", one poster read. \"Raise
\nthe minimum daily wage to Rp 7,000\" read others. The protesters
\nchanted slogans criticizing what they saw as exploitation of
\nworkers and collusion between officials and businessmen. They
\nalso denounced the military's intervention in labor disputes.<\/p>\n
Daily minimum wages currently range from Rp 3,000 in Central
\nJava and South Sulawesi to Rp 4,600 in Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Machines<\/p>\n
\"The workers are being treated like machines,\" PPBI Chairwoman
\nDita Sari said.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's protest was held to mark the PPBI's first
\nanniversary.<\/p>\n
PPBI Secretary-General Wilson called on the PDI faction in the
\nHouse to review the price index used to set the daily minimum
\nwage, saying workers needed not only food and clothes, but also
\nhouses, recreation and education.<\/p>\n
Aberson said the PDI fully supports the activists' demands.<\/p>\n
\"What can you do with a daily wage of Rp 4,000?,\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Aberson said that workers' insistence on having their minimum
\ndaily wages increased is by no means unlawful, as has been
\nclaimed by some government officials.<\/p>\n
The 1945 Constitution states that all citizens have the right
\nto a decent livelihood and so the workers' demand is only
\nconstitutional, he said.<\/p>\n
The legislator said that the current wage levels had been
\ndetermined on the basis of minimum physical needs and were
\ninsufficient to help the millions of Indonesians still living
\nbelow the poverty line.<\/p>\n
Government statistics show that some 27 million of Indonesia's
\n194 million people live in absolute poverty.<\/p>\n
Separately, Director General for Industrial Relations and
\nLabor Standards Suwarto said the labor activists were being
\nunrealistic. He said the government could not set a national
\ndaily minimum wage because of the varying situations of
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
\"If the current minimum wages are raised to Rp 7,000, many
\nsmall-scale companies will collapse and this could endanger the
\nnational economy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said most medium-scale and large-scale companies pay their
\nworkers well in excess of the relevant minimum wage.<\/p>\n
\"If workers want their wages to be raised, they can always
\nnegotiate about it with their the management,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Asked about freedom of association, Suwarto said Indonesian
\nworkers are free to organize.<\/p>\n
He said the All-Indonesian Workers Union has been re-
\nstructured into 13 sectoral unions and that about 900 labor
\nunions have been established by workers in their work places.
\n(rms\/pan)<\/p>",
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