Workers protest Manpower Law

SURABAYA: Some 1,500 workers staged a protest at the East Java governor's office here on Saturday, demanding that the government and legislators revoke Manpower Law No. 13/2003.

Agus Haryanto, coordinator of the Indonesian Workers Union Congress, said the law did not side with workers, so it should be revoked.

In particular, Agus said, one article allowed employers to outsource projects to contract workers, which meant a company could employ fewer permanent workers. Furthermore, contract workers themselves were vulnerable, as an employer could cut their contract without prior notice or severance pay. -- JP