Workers Besiege City Hall, Demanding UMP Raise
Reported by Erna Martiyanti | Translated by Nugroho Adibrata
Hundreds of workers stage a protest in front of City Hall, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (10/22). They are demanding Jakarta Provincial Government to raise the 2015 Jakarta Province Minimum Wage (UMP) to 30 percent.
In the Presidential Decree, UMP raise is only 10 percent maximum, and that is no longer worthy. We ask Mr. Ahok to break that rule
Demonstration Coordinator, Amir Mahfuz, said his side demands Acting Jakarta Governor Basuki ‘Ahok’ T Purnama to hear labors’ aspirations. He also hopes this year there would be additional components in the calculation of standard cost of living (KHL) which used as reference to determine UMP.
“The KHL is determined at 2 PM today. We ask Mr. Ahok, who is about to be (Jakarta) Governor to respond our aspirations,” he asserted.
Basuki Rejects Raising UMP to 30 PercentAccording to Mahfuz, the labors are demanding 30 percent raise in UMP which this year is Rp 2.4 million. He knows the demand is contradict to the Presidential Decree that regulates maximum UMP raise is only 10 percent.
“In the Presidential Decree, UMP raise is only 10 percent maximum, and that is no longer worthy. We ask Mr. Ahok to break that rule. If our demand was not met, we will hold mass strike. We will fight until the end,” he stated.
Based on beritajakarta.com observations, labors are crowding in front of the City Hall. Even so, motorists can still pass on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan because the police open one lane to be for road users. However, the vehicles had to run slowly because of the huge mass.
