Workers demand 100% increase in wages<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Thousands of workers grouped under the Cisadane Workers Coalition
\n(KBC) staged a rally in Tangerang municipality on Thursday to
\ndemand that the administration double the current minimum wage
\nfor next year.<\/p>\n
They also insisted that the team assessing the minimum wage
\nadopt the result of a survey conducted by the workers on the
\nminimum cost of living.<\/p>\n
\"The government's team concluded that the minimum cost of
\nliving in Tangerang is Rp 803,485. But, in our survey, we found
\nthat a worker with a spouse and one child needs at least Rp 1.4
\nmillion,\" Sunarno, KBC coordinator told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"Besides that, the fuel price hike of more than 100 percent
\nhas caused the prices of all goods to increase so that minimum
\ncost of living has automatically doubled,\" he said, adding that
\nthe government had always failed to enable workers to have a
\ndecent standard of living.<\/p>\n
He said that if the minimum wage for 2006 turned out to be
\nlower than Rp 1.4 million per month, some 30,000 workers grouped
\nunder KBC would continue to rally and even strike.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, head of the Tangerang Municipal Manpower Agency,
\nAdang Turwana, who also led the team in assessing the minimum
\ncost of living, confirmed that the survey held in three main
\nmarkets in Tangerang showed that the amount needed to cover the
\nminimum monthly living expenses for a worker was Rp 803,485.<\/p>\n
\"We held the survey at Anyer market, Cileduk and Malabar
\nmarkets, involving 30 members comprising businessmen, scholars,
\nworkers and administration officials,\" Adang said.<\/p>\n
\"We suspect that KBC's survey was not held in accordance with
\nthe procedure stipulated in the Manpower Ministry Decree No.
\n17\/2005 on the minimum cost of living.\"<\/p>\n
Adang said that the team had yet to decide whether the minimum
\nwage for 2006 would be determined based on the survey result.<\/p>\n
\"Based on past experience, the minimum wage for 2006 will not
\nbe far from the survey result or in other words the increase will
\nnot be more than 15 percent higher than the current wage of Rp
\n693,500,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-demand-100-increase-in-wages-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}