T

he Indonesian Employers Association'€™s (Apindo) West Java branch has filed an objection to the 2014 minimum wage for 26 regencies and cities across West Java.

'€œKarawang regency is now recorded as the region with the highest minimum wage, surpassing Jakarta. The main question is, is the cost of living in Karawang higher than in Jakarta?'€ said West Java Apindo chairman Dedy Wijaya on Friday.

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan approved the 2014 minimum wage for Karawang at Rp 2,447,450. The 2014 minimum wage for Jakarta has been set at Rp 2,441,301.

Dedy said some manufacturing companies in a number of regions, including Subang, Bandung city, Cimahi, West Bandung and Sumedang, had objected to the new wage amount.

'€œSouth Korean businesspeople in Subang have protested the new wage, saying that they may close down their businesses if the new policy is applied,'€ Dedy said, adding that the minimum wage for Subang had been set at Rp 1,577,959 from the previous Rp 1,220,000.

Dedy said the South Korean Garment Association was considering filing a request that implementation of the new West Java minimum wage be postponed.

'€œWe hope that they [South Korean companies] will continue running their business in the [aforementioned] regions because hundreds of thousands of local people work at the companies,'€ he added.

According to West Java Manpower and Transmigration Agency head Hening Widiatmoko, companies from South Korea, Taiwan and China dominate the manufacturing industry in the province.