Workers protest labor bill

Workers protest labor bill

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Around 5,000 workers from 15 companies in Medan, Deli Serdang, Labuhan Batu and Asahan staged a demonstration in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, on Wednesday, demanding that President Megawati Soekarnoputri drop the labor protection law.

The protesters threatened to boycott the 2004 general election should their demands not be met.

Agus Arifin, the coordinator of the demonstrators, said the workers were not interested in voting in the next election should the government did not listen to their aspirations.

"Most political parties always promise many things to workers during election campaigns but none of these promises are ever fulfilled after a government is formed," he said in a speech to the demonstrators.

Agus, who is also the chairman of the North Sumatra Workers' Union (SBSU), said it would be unfortunate if the President enacted the labor bill into law as it still contained many contentious provisions.

He said the workers were opposed to the bill as it allowed employers to hire part-timers to fill permanent positions, allowed employers to move workers from one company to another in the same group and required workers to inform employers and the security authorities at least seven days before staging industrial action. -- JP