Depok wage lower than Jakarta's

JAKARTA: Chairman of the Depok chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Inu Kertapati said that the minimum wage in Depok could not be equal to that of Jakarta because of the economic differences between the two cities.

"Living expenses in Depok and Jakarta are very different, Jakarta of course is much more expensive," he was quoted by Antara as saying on Thursday.

Inu explained that the recent protests by laborers to increase minimum wages in Depok to equal that of what laborers in Jakarta had asked was understandable, but that the more reasonable increase was between 10 to 15 percent.

Laborers in Depok demanded earlier that the minimum wage be increased to Rp 1.2 million a month from the current Rp 681,200.

The new minimum wage will take place on Jan. 1, 2006. --JP