Thousands of workers strike, seeking wage rise

Thousands of workers strike, seeking wage rise

TANGERANG (JP): Over 5,500 workers from seven manufacturing
firms went on strike yesterday, demanding wage increases and
welfare improvements.

About 4,000 of the protesters worked at two ceramic companies
here, PT Keramindo Megah Pertiwi and PT Satria Raya Keramindo
Indonesia, which are located on Jl. Raya Serang, in Balaraja.

They held a rally along the street in front of the factories
after the companies' security guards asked them to leave the
factories' compounds.

Besides halting the factories' production activities, the
strike also caused traffic jams.

One of the protesters said that activities at the factories
had intensified lately but this had not been accompanied by
better welfare for the workers.

"We asked for an attendance fee of Rp 22,000 a month, which
has been omitted without any clear reason," the protester, who
asked not to be named, said.

He said protesters demanded an increase in meal allowances and
transparent payments and urged employers not to arbitrarily
dismiss workers as happened recently when 200 workers were fired.

The companies' executives could not be reached for their
comments.

About 700 of the remaining 1,500 protesters, who worked at
spoon manufacturing company PT Tong Yang Moolsan Nusantara,
demanded their minimum wage be increased from Rp 155,000 a month
to Rp 172,500 a month.

Some 500 protesters from zipper company PT Fajarindo Faliman
Zipper and wood processing company PT Bumi Indah Raya also went
on strike, demanding their wages be increased.

The remaining 300 protesters were from bicycle company PT
Diantindo Multi and food company PT Bumi Tangerang Coklat Utama.
They demanded a salary rise in line with increases in staple food
and fuel prices. (41/jun)