Workers plan massive rally on May Day

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the absence of another rally of protest on the fuel hike -- as the government had planned to announce earlier -- Jakartans will still have to deal with traffic congestion on the main streets on Wednesday as around 10,000 laborers and students will stage a rally to commemorate World Labor Day -- or May Day -- on May 1.

Massive May Day rallies are also expected to take place in other big cities, including Medan in North Sumatra and Surabaya in East Java, as the laborers' protest against the government's unwillingness to grant them a May Day holiday.

Coordinator of the Committee for May 1 Action in Jakarta, B. Lucky Rossintha, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that more than 50 workers' unions and non-governmental organizations will be on the streets to voice their demands for the laborers' welfare.

Starting at 10 a.m., the participants will move to the National Monument (Monas) compound in Central Jakarta from three embarkation points: Senen railway station, the Proclamation Monument and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

Lucky said the 10,000 protesters, organized by the Committee for May 1 Action, will go straight to the nearby State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara to deliver their positions on President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration.

Another group, led by the 3,000-member Metal Workers Union, will instead march to the House of Representatives compound on Jl. Gatot Subroto in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta.

Women's rights activists will also stage a rally to demand a maternity leave for workers and other rights that workers deserve.

The Jakarta Police have anticipated the marchers and will disperse any groups without a demonstration permit. The police spokesman, Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam, said around 7,000 officers would be deployed to secure the rally.

The officers come from different divisions including the Mobile Brigade, the Support Division, the Traffic Police and Detectives.

"The police's task is to serve the people. As long as they (marchers) don't disturb the public, we'll allow them," Anton said.

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Jacob Nuwa Wea, had called on laborers earlier not to stage the rally during the commemoration.

On Wednesday, the Democratic People's Party (PRD) and students organizations said they would join the rally due to their concern over legal, political and economic reforms.

All the expected demonstrators deplored Megawati's regime, saying it had yet to promote and protect labor rights.

Lucky said since the Committee for May 1 Action began in 1998, only Jacob, "who gives intimidating responses to our demands, has actually inspired us to protest".

May Day is held to celebrate the laborers' victory in 1890 in their struggle to reduce 12-hour work days to eight. The Indonesian people, in 1918, were the first Asians to celebrate the day.

Founding president Sukarno had declared May Day a national holiday as stipulated in a 1948 Law on manpower which was supported by other regulations. The laborers used to mark the day with a massive rally nationwide.

The change of regime under Soeharto in 1966 halted the commemorations with the issuance of several presidential decrees. The ministerial regulation No. 3/1987 only stipulates 15 national holidays per year for workers but does not include May 1.

"We want the new regime, under Sukarno's daughter, to return the laborers' right for a holiday on May Day," Lucky remarked.

The laborers will also ask the government to erase foreign debts and cease to be dependent on international financing bodies. Additionally, they will request a doubling of laborers' salaries so people can make ends meet.