Workers ask judges to drop lawsuit

SURABAYA: Workers in East Java have urged the Surabaya District Court to drop a lawsuit filed by employers against the governor's issuance of the 2009 minimum wage hikes.

"For justice and legal certainty, we are appealing to the panel of judges to drop the lawsuit against the minimum wage hikes," Syaiful Aries, a lawyer for the Labor Rights Defenders' Front (ABM) told the court hearing the lawsuit.

The Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) filed the lawsuit in November in protest at the hike of an average of 17 percent in the regional minimum wages, prompting most employers to suspend paying their workers in accordance with the 2009 minimum wages. The lawsuit has sparked opposition from labor unions, which say the court has no authority to try such a case.

"Labor disputes on minimum wages should be resolved through a three-party negotiation between workers, employers and the government." The 2003 labor law stipulates that minimum wages be set by the government through a three-way negotiation with workers and employers and on the basis of index prices, economic growth and minimum physical need (KHL). Syaiful said the current minimum wages were still far below the minimum physical need in the province. - JP