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Workers flood Jakarta to protest layoffs
The rally: Thousands of workers from several unions march along Jl
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The rally: Thousands of workers from several unions march along Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Jakarta on Saturday. During the rally, the workers called on the government to stop the layoff of Indonesian workers and to revoke a 2015 government regulation that they claim has led to low wages. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan) (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
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span class="inline inline-center">The rally: Thousands of workers from several unions march along Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Jakarta on Saturday. During the rally, the workers called on the government to stop the layoff of Indonesian workers and to revoke a 2015 government regulation that they claim has led to low wages. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
Thousands of Indonesian labor union members flooded into Jakarta for a massive rally on Saturday, urging the government to stop layoffs at multinational corporations.
Simultaneous rallies were held in Jakarta, Bogor, Batam, Bekasi, Depok, Medan, Surabaya, Semarang and Tangerang. In total, 30,000 workers joined in the action, said Said Iqbal, the chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI).
"Today, 30,000 workers demanded two things: stop the layoff of Indonesian laborers and revoke the 2015 government regulation that has led to low wages," he said at the rally as quoted by Antara news agency on Saturday.
The rally started from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and continued up to the State Palace before finally gathering in Kelapa Gading, a commercial district in North Jakarta, to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the Indonesian Metal Labor Union Federation (FSPMI).
As previously reported, some Japanese and South Korean factories have announced plans to cut jobs in Indonesia. The KSPI has claimed that thousands of workers will lose their jobs if the plans were to be implemented.
Calling the claims exaggerated, Vice President Jusuf Kalla pledged to boost economic growth to minimize layoffs in 2016. "We will try to keep the economy running to reduce the magnitude of layoffs,' he said as quoted by Antara. (ags)
