Three million workers to join nationwide labor strike: Labor leader

"The workers are from 20 provinces and 150 districts and cities throughout Indonesia," Said Iqbal, the president of KSPI, said.

Bekasi, West Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Labor Union Confederation (KSPI) is predicting that three million workers will join a nationwide strike on October 31 and November 1, 2013 to demand a 50 percent salary increase in 2014..

"The workers are from 20 provinces and 150 districts and cities throughout Indonesia," Said Iqbal, the president of KSPI, said in a statement here on Monday.

This number, however, does not include hundreds of thousands of additional workers from companies located in 40 industrial zones in Indonesia, he noted.

"They will stop production, including in seaports which will be affected by the strike," Said said.

"The mass strike is expected to be well organized and peaceful," he said.

Labor strikes are scheduled to be staged in Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Aceh, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

In Jakarta, workers will strike in Pulogadung, Sunter, Cakung and the Tanjung Priok industrial zones.

"In Bekasi, 500 workers will join the strike from

Delta Silicon, Ejip Cikarang, Tambun-Karawang, Lippo Cikarang, and MM 2100 Cibitung. Other workers are from 11 industrial zones in Karawang, Purwakarta, Subang, and Medan," he said.

Labor unions joining the mass strike include KSPI, Sekber Buruh, GSBI, KSN, FSBI, SPTSK, Opsi, Spin, SBSI Mochtar Pahpahan, SBSI 92, FBLP, KSBSI (Lomenik), KSPSI (Lem, Farkes, Pewarta), FSPMI, FSP-Kep, FSP-Farkes Reformasi, FSPPPMI, FSP-Par-Reformasi, FSP-ISI, Aspek Indonesia, FSBTPI, KASBI Progresif, as well as the alliance of Indonesian labor unions.

The strike has no political motivation and is not supported by any political party, Said noted.

The main demand of the strikers is a 50 percent salary increase in 2014.

"Workers demand the calculation of a minimal salary using 84 items as a Decent Living Standard (KLH)," he said.

They also demand the implementation of national health insurance for all Indonesians as of January 1, 2014 and the abolition of outsourcing of work, including in state-owned companies. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013