Laborers demand wage hike

BOGOR: Thousands of laborers of PT Truba Raya Trading, the producer of FILA shoes, staged a rally in Ciawi, Bogor, demanding the company raise their wages in accordance with the new provincial minimum wage.

They also demanded that PT Truba not impose income tax on the workers.

PT Truba is a private company that produces FILA shoes for export to Germany, United States, Canada and Italy.

More than 3,000 workers received only Rp 417,000 per month each, although the Bogor administration has established a new wage of Rp 576,000, according to the chief of PT Truba's trade union, Dadang.

They also had to pay income tax, from Rp 13,000 to Rp 16,000.

He said that the union and the company had reached an agreement about the wage hike in January, but the company had postponed it. The company claimed that shoes orders had decreased by up to 50 percent.

"Who said the orders are decreasing? We have to work overtime all the time, even on Sundays, to fulfill the orders," said worker Neny.

PT Truba could not be reach for comment. --JP