Surabaya workers struggle to deal with fuel price hike<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
It has been a month since Untung Sunyoto, a Surabayan worker in a
\nhomemade stove factory in the Sidoarjo area, has met with his
\nfamily. He used to return home on the weekend, but since the fuel
\nprice hike on Oct. 1, he can now only afford to go back once a
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Romli, another factory worker, has had to economize
\nafter the fuel price increases led to increases in transportation
\nfares. Romli is now considering finding a room to rent close to
\nhis work place to save on transportation costs between the
\nfactory and his home. Moreover, his company has yet to raise
\ntransportation allowances.<\/p>\n
Worst, Romli, the father of a boy, is not only struggling to
\ncope with rising transportation costs, but he must also deal with
\nrising prices of food and other basic necessities.<\/p>\n
For Romli, his meager salary of some Rp 600,000 a month
\n(US$60) is barely enough to meet his family's expenses.<\/p>\n
A similar plight is currently being suffered by many other
\nworkers in Surabaya, an industrial center and second largest city
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
The head of the democracy assessment section with the Surabaya
\nLegal Aid Foundation, Attoillah, said following the fuel price
\nhike the number of workers filing welfare complaints at the
\nfoundation had risen 50 percent. Before the fuel price hike, the
\nfoundation normally received 25 welfare complaints a month from
\nworkers, mainly about low salaries or unfair dismissals. The
\ncomplaints are filed with the local council for follow up, said
\nAttoilah.<\/p>\n
"We can do nothing as the companies rarely violate the
\ngovernment decree on the regional minimum wage. All we can do is
\nrelay the complaints to the local council, while at the same time
\ncounsel the workers to face a tough life," said Attoillah.<\/p>\n
Separately, a senior Surabaya councillor Achmad Jabir said the
\ncouncil would propose that the government increase the regional
\nminimum wage. The increase was necessary in order to help workers
\ncope with the impact of the fuel price hike, said Jabir. "The
\ngovernment should revise the regional minimum wage as it is too
\nlow," he said.<\/p>\n
In a separate development, the Surabaya Wage Commission has
\nsubmitted its recent survey on worker's wages to the Surabaya
\ncity administration, in which it recommends that the government
\nraise the city's minimum wage from Rp 575,000 to Rp 715,000 per
\nmonth. However, several unions oppose the proposal, saying the
\nminimum wage should be increased to at least Rp 1 million a
\nmonth.<\/p>",
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