Workers take to the streets to demand higher basic wage<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As the year 2005 draws to a close, thousands of factory workers
\non Java hit the streets on Wednesday to demand that regional
\ngovernments raise the minimum wage to enable workers to enjoy a
\ndecent standard of living.<\/p>\n
The protest went peacefully with exception of the city of
\nBandung, West Java, where over 1,000 workers trampled the main
\ngate of the West Java Governor's office, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
The protests were seen as necessary to step up pressure on the
\ngovernment, which has sided with employers at the expense of
\nworkers, said Joko Haryono, a protest leader in Serang, Banten.<\/p>\n
The protesters asked the Banten provincial government to raise
\nworker's living standards by raising the minimum wage for next
\nyear.<\/p>\n
The protesters also demanded that employers pay attention to
\ntheir plight. The protesters argued, by raising the worker's
\nminimum wage, the employers would only spend a small portion of
\ntheir overhead costs on wages, which represent only between 5
\npercent and 10 percent of total production costs, said Joko.<\/p>\n
The workers demanded that the government raise the Banten
\nprovincial minimum wage to Rp 789,460, or a Rp 204,460 increase
\nfrom the current minimum wage. Stepping up pressure for the
\ngovernment to raise provincial minimum wage is seen as crucial as
\nit sets the benchmark for the regency and city minimum wage in
\nBanten province.<\/p>\n
Responding to the demand, speaker of Banten Provincial
\nLegislative Council Ady Surya Dharma said the matter would be
\nleft to the wage council consisting of government officials, and
\nrepresentatives of employers and labor unions.<\/p>\n
A similar demand was also aired in Surabaya on the same day.
\nIn the protest, hundreds of factory workers and students asserted
\nthat the wage hike was essential as people's purchasing power had
\nbeen weakened due to the fuel price hike on Oct. 1. They said the
\ngovernment had to compensate for the fuel price hike by raising
\nthe minimum wage.<\/p>\n
However, the East Java wage council is still discussing the
\npercentage increase in the minimum wage and the outcome will be
\nannounced soon.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, workers in West Java knocked down the main gate of
\nthe governor's office. The protesters demanded that Governor
\nDanny Setiawan reject the proposed minimum wage for next year
\nrecommended by 12 regencies and cities across the province.<\/p>\n
They said the recommendations had ignored the proposal of
\nlabor unions. The Bandung local government, for example, had set
\nthe minimum wage next year at Rp 710,000 far below the minimum
\nwage proposed by workers at Rp 780,000.<\/p>\n
The governor has yet to announce the provincial minimum wage,
\npending recommendations by the remaining 13 regencies and cities
\nacross the province. The minimum wage set by the governor will
\nset the benchmark for the minimum wage in the regencies and
\ncities in West Java.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-take-to-the-streets-to-demand-higher-basic-wage-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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