TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Bogor workers celebrate May Day with mass prayer
Change Size
Showing solidarity: Bogor Regent Nurhayanti (third left) attends an istighotsah (mass prayer) to celebrate International Workers’ Day, or May Day, at Pakansari Stadium in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday. (JP/Theresia Sufa)
A
round 4,000 workers in Bogor regency, West Java, attended an istighotsah (mass prayer) at Pakansari Stadium to celebrate International Workers’ Day, or May Day, on Tuesday.
They prayed for West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan to immediately issue a decree on sectoral minimum wages for regencies and cities.
Sumarno, the head of the Chemical, Energy and Mining Workers Union (SPKEP) in the Bogor regency, said workers have struggled to push forward the issuance of the decree on sectoral minimum wages, but as of today no progress had been made.
“Therefore, we partnered with the Bogor Police to hold this istighotsah with the hope that sectoral minimum wages we have fought for could be immediately issued by the governor,” he added.
The workers also called for the revocation of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 20/2018 on foreign workers. They deemed the regulation was unfair because it opened a pathway for an influx of foreign workers into Indonesia.
“We reject any laws that aren’t on the side of workers in the country. If the West Java governor decree is not issued after this celebration, we will declare a strike and close down factories in Bogor regency,” said Sumarno.
Around 2,800 factories operate in Bogor, which is home to around 12,000 union members.
Bogor Regent Nurhayanti said she supported the struggle of the workers to push for the issuance of the sectoral minimum wage decree. She promised that she would convey their demand to the West Java governor. (ebf)
