Jakarta, Oct 29 (Antara) - Jakarta workers, rallying outside City Hall
on Tuesday, threatened to call a two-day national strike if their demand
for a 50-percent wage increase was not met.
"We came here to meet Jokowi and Ahok (the Jakarta governor and deputy
governor). We are demanding a raise in the provincial minimum wage (UMP)
and inclusion of more items in the Decent Livelihood Components (KHL),"
said Winarso, the chairman of the regional executive board of the
Federation of Metal Workers Unions (FSPMI).
Thousands of Jakarta workers held a rally in Jakarta on Tuesday,
demanding wages be increased by 50 percent from Rp2.2 million to Rp3.7
million per month, the end of outsourcing and an increase in the KHL
from Rp1.9 million for 60 items to Rp2.7 million for 84 items.
Winarso said that workers in Jakarta should receive a monthly salary at
a range between Rp3.4 million and Rp3.7 million.
"We also reject Presidential Instruction No. 9 / 2012 because it
enables employers to pay workers a low wage. We opt for discussions
between workers and employers to decide a decent KHL for items. We
demand that the current 60 KHL items, as regulated, be revised," Winarso
said.
The same demand was also raised by Jakarta Workers Forum Chairman Muhammad Toha.
"Workers
ask the Jakarta Governor to agree to the demand for a wage of Rp3.7
million per month and for him to be on the workers' side," Chairman of
the Jakarta Workers Forum, Muhammad Toha, said.
If their demand is not met, workers plan to hold a nationwide strike on Thursday and Friday.
According to Winarso, in 2014 inflation is predicted to reach
double-digits, or more than 10 percent, while economic growth is
expected at 6.2 percent. Laborers, who have contributed to the economic
growth, should also enjoy it. After all, they also face double-digit
inflation.
He noted that workers contributed about 46.2 percent to economic
growth, or nearly 50 percent, and deserve a salary increase of 50
percent, which he says constitutes a realistic demand.
"We need all sides' understanding what is a decent pay for us. So, we
are serious about staging a national strike from October 31 to November
1, 2013 if our demand is not met. We hope Apindo (the employers
association) and the government would not back each other. But they
should have negotiations with us," stated Winarso.
On Friday last week, the Jakarta Remuneration Board decided on the KHL rate of Rp2.29 million based on 60 KHL items.
He said that the government did not consider the KHL calculation rate
proposed by the workers' representative on the Jakarta Remuneration
board, a rate of 2.7 million, which would enable the minimum wage (UMP)
to be set at a range of Rp3.4 million - Rp3.7 million.
Jazuli, the workers' representative on the Jakarta Remuneration Board,
said that the decent living cost workers deserve amounted to Rp2.7
million.
"Based on the survey we have conducted, the decent living cost is about
Rp2.7 million. So today we, together with the workers federations and
other alliances in Jakarta, once again demand a realistic figure for
workers' pay," Jazuli said here on Tuesday.
He added that a national strike planned next Thursday and Friday could
be cancelled if the government agreed to meet the living cost standard
of Rp2.7 million.
"We want to communicate directly with Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo to
discuss our demand. If the governor refuses to meet us, we will spend
the night at City Hall and wait until our demand is met," Jazuli said.
He added that workers were threatening to call a national strike on
Thursday and Friday if their demand for salary payments was not met.
Jazuli said that the increase to Rp2.29 in the KHL with 60 items was
actually accountable based on the presidential instruction, but it still
had to be discussed with workers in the next meeting.
If the Jakarta Remuneration Board conducts a follow-up meeting, the
results of its meeting will be reported to the Jakarta governor for
approval.
In the meantime, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said employers and
workers should develop harmonious relations so they could jointly decide
upon a basic minimum wage without having conflicts.
"What is important now is creating harmonious relations between workers
and their employers. They are together as management, so their
relations should be built harmoniously," Jokowi, better known as Jokowi,
said.
He added that harmonious relations should be maintained so workers and employers could always communicate well.
"It should not happen that workers and employers meet only when there
are matters relating to the minimum wage. This does not demonstrate good
relations. Conflicting relations should not build up. If poor relations
continue, conflicts will continue to take place," the governor warned.
Referring to the demand of workers for an increase in the decent living
cost standard to Rp2.7 million, the governor said if the workers union
and employers had met and not agreed to a figure, they then had to
report the problem to the governor.
"I have not received a report about it. The labor unions should meet
first with employers to discuss it. They should report their decision to
me. They should also report the rate of the minimum wage they agree
upon," Jokowi said.
He said that he had no business with UMP (minimum wage) and KHL (decent
living cost) because the matters should be discussed between workers
and employers. "I will receive them after they have met. It is not me
who will make the decision," the governor said.
In the meantime, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo)
chairman, Sofyan Wanandi, said a labor wage increase would not solve
labors' problems, especially relating to their standard of living.
"For sure, a wage increase will not solve labors' problems, so the
government should play its role," Sofyan said at a press gathering.
The government's assistance is badly needed to solve the problem of
labors' standard of living, for instance, by providing low-cost housing,
affordable health care, and less expensive transportation, according to
Sofyan.***2***
(T.A014/INE/H-YH)
(EDITED BY INE)
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 29-10-2013 |
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