Minimum wage to be revised

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: The East Kalimantan provincial administration plans to revise the minimum wage for 2006 to reflect the high inflation rate of around 18 percent expected for December.

"The governor has requested the manpower office take into account the latest inflation rate when it revises the minimum wage," administration spokesman Jauhar Effendi said on Monday.

Effendi could not say how much the new wage would rise. The provincial administration earlier announced the 2006 wage was at Rp 684,000 (US$69.30) a month.

That revision came following protests by workers, who said it was too low to survive on.

Jauhar admitted the first wage for 2006 was low compared to the minimum cost of living in the province, estimated at Rp 764,000 a month. -- JP