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Batam workers urge minimum wages rise by 50%
Raise our pay: Workers united under the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) hoist banners emblazoned with their demands, which include a 50 percent minimum wage increase in 2015, during a protest rally in front of the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) and the Batam mayoral offices on Thursday
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Raise our pay: Workers united under the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) hoist banners emblazoned with their demands, which include a 50 percent minimum wage increase in 2015, during a protest rally in front of the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) and the Batam mayoral offices on Thursday. (JP/Fadli) (FSPMI) hoist banners emblazoned with their demands, which include a 50 percent minimum wage increase in 2015, during a protest rally in front of the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) and the Batam mayoral offices on Thursday. (JP/Fadli)
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span class="inline inline-center">Raise our pay: Workers united under the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) hoist banners emblazoned with their demands, which include a 50 percent minimum wage increase in 2015, during a protest rally in front of the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) and the Batam mayoral offices on Thursday. (JP/Fadli)
Workers united under the Batam chapter of the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) demanded that the minimum wage be increased by 50 percent from the current wage rate in 2015 during a protest rally held in front of the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) and the Batam mayoral offices on Thursday.
The head of the Batam chapter of the Indonesian Workers' Union Federation (FSPI), Yoni Mulyo Widodo, said a 50 percent minimum wage increase in 2015 was one of the demands, which also included improvement to workers' capacities ahead of the 2015 implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community, that they voiced during the rally.
'We demanded the minimum wage rise by 50 percent. We also urged the government to cancel an existing regulation that says that Provincial Minimum Wage (UMK) increases in the future will be deliberated through a bipartite approach between employers and workers because it is prone to deadlock and will potentially trigger chaos, as the government will no longer have a role in the matter,' said Yoni.
He said the federation would pay close attention to discussions of the 2015 UMK in the next 18 months. If the resulting decisions did not reflect the workers' demands, the FSPI would reject them.
FSPMI, which is part of FSPI, earlier claimed that 5,000 workers would participate in today's protest rally; however, only around 1,000 workers attended. A number of police personnel heavily equipped with water canon vehicles and a riot squad had tightened security in areas around the demonstration site. Traffic was rerouted on surrounding streets, causing gridlock at several points.
During the rally in front of the BPK FTZ, several union representatives were invited to enter discussions with the agency's spokesman and One-Roof Integrated Services (PTSP) director, Dwi Djoko Wiwoho. Separately, Batam Deputy Mayor Rudi agreed to meet with representatives from the labor groups.
Djoko refused to comment on speculation that the 2015 UMK would increase by more than 30 percent, nearly fulfilling the 50 percent minimum wage rise requested by the Batam workers. (ebf)
