T

housands of workers from the Medan Industrial Zone (KIM) in Medan, North Sumatra, rallied on Tuesday, calling a proposal to raise the monthly minimum wage (UMK) to Rp 1.46 million (US$162) “inhumane”.

Workers’ representative Agus Utomo said that the city’s proposed increase was a far cry from meeting the daily needs of workers.

“Workers have been leading a difficult life. What can we eat with a monthly salary of Rp 1.46 million? Now, everything is so expensive,” Agus said on the sidelines of the rally at Medan City Hall.

Agus said that the workers were demanding that the city increase the monthly minimum wage to Rp 2 million, which he described as in line with a survey on minimum living standards.

Medan Deputy Mayor Dzulmin Eldin, who was on hand to meet the protestors, said that the increase to the UMK had been set by the Medan administration, based on a recommendation from the local Remuneration Council, which he claimed had taken into consideration rising minimum living standards for the workers.

During the protest, the workers also held protests at several factories that had barred their employees from joining the rally at Medan City Hall to demand an increase in the monthly minimum wage.

The tensions began to mount as the workers were blocked from entering factories by security guards.

But due to the huge number of workers arriving by motorcycles, the security guards, assisted by local police officers, were overwhelmed, and eventually allowed the employees who were working to join the demonstration.

A convoy of thousands of workers from various factories in the KIM descended on city hall, paralyzing the highway connecting Medan and Belawan Port.

Congestion also occurred in a number of points in Medan, as the workers marched on the city’s thoroughfares on the way to Medan City Hall.

While workers did not cause havoc during the protest, government offices closed or suspended work.

Hundreds of officers from the North Sumatra and Medan Police and troops from local Indonesian Military (TNI) units were on hand to oversee the rally.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Wisjnu Amat Sastro arrived at the rally to talk with the demonstrating workers.

Wisjnu described the workers’ protests, which were held in a number of places in Medan, as peaceful overall.

Wisjnu added that the police had mobilized 3,828 police officers and TNI troops to provide security during the protests.