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ATAM: Labor unions in Batam have threatened to hold rallies as a form of their rejection of the recently announced 2012 workers’ minimum salary set at Rp 1.31 million (US$144) by Riau Islands Governor Muhammad Sani.

Metal Indonesia Labor Union (FSPMI), Indonesia Prosperous Labor Confederation (KSBI) and Indonesia Labor Union Confederation (SPSI), grouped in the Batam Labor Alliance, announced on Wednesday that they would hold rallies on Friday.

They had demanded that the minimum pay be raised to Rp 1.76 million, while the government had allowed only Rp 1.31 million or an increase by Rp 130,000 from the previous minimum fee of Rp 1.18 million.

“This Friday we are going to take to the streets in a show of our rejection of the announced minimum fee. Although some of us say they accept it, the labor alliance rejects it,” FSPMI leader Suprapto told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Besides the Batam municipal administration office, the rallies will target the businesspeople association (Apindo), provincial representative and PT Satnusa Persada, a company owned by Apindo advisory board chairman Abidin.

Abidin has been reportedly vehement in opposing the pay increase.

Riau Islands’ Apindo chairman Cahaya said the business sector had reluctantly accepted the government’s decision more out of a willingness to preserve relations with workers, although the new minimum pay appeared higher than that proposed by the businesses, which was Rp 1.26 million a month. “We had been expecting an increase of 7 percent rather than 10 percent,” he said during a media conference on Wednesday.