Thousands protest at governor's office

Thousands protest at governor's office

SURABAYA: About 1,800 workers from household appliance company
PT Kyung Dong Indonesia (KDI) in Sidoarjo staged a protest on
Thursday at the East Java gubernatorial office on Jl. Pahlawan,
Surabaya.

They demanded Governor Imam Utomo to prevent the closure of
the company.

The protesters, who called themselves the Indonesian Metal
Workers Federation, arrived on motorcycles, in trucks and private
cars at 10:30 a.m. They raised dozens of posters and banners that
read, "Uphold justice and pay attention to the plight and rights
of workers" and "No to mass dismissal and stop discriminating
workers".

They alternately spoke from atop the trucks, and one protester
urged the governor and manpower and transmigration minister to
fully intervene in PT KDI's planned closure.

Damianus, vice chairman of the federation, said the group had
staged the protest at the governor's office upon the hope that
the governor would intercede in the affair on behalf of the 1,762
PT KDI workers.

However, they were not able to meet the governor.

Instead, they were received by the local welfare agency chief,
Bramantyo, and the head of the East Java Committee for the
Settlement of Labor Disputes, Pasaribu. -- JP