Thousands of workers join the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions at a rally on May Day. (Photo: AP)Jakarta (VNA) – Thousands of workers joined the Confederation ofIndonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) at a rally near the presidential palace inJakarta on the International Labour Day or May Day (May 1) to call on theGovernment to give more job opportunities to domestic labourers.
Most of the workers came from cities in the vicinity like Bandung, Jabodetabek,Serang and Karawang.
They also extended their grievances about low wages and called for therevocation of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No.20/2018 on foreign workers.Chinese labourers now account for a large amount in the country.
KSPI’s march was also organised in 25 provinces with 200 districts across thenation to raise objections to foreign workers in the nation.
Participants in the rally said that Indonesia is taking charge of more than 7million unemployed workers. Local labourers are paid with a maximum wage of 4million rupiah while the amount for foreigners is 10 million rupiah per month.
Earlier, Minister of Manpower Muhammad Hanif Dhakiri stressed that theRegulation aims to simplify procedures for the recruitment of foreign workers.
As of the end of 2017, there were nearly 86,000 foreign workers in Indonesia.The figures in 2015 and 2016 were 77,000 and 80,000.
Along with the Presidential Regulation, the activists also asked for theremoval of Government Regulation (PP) No.78/2015 on wages, which they deemed asunfair to workers.
They also urged the Government to fight corruption while working to increasesubsidy for the citizens, particularly in health care, energy, housing,transport improvement and agriculture renovation.-VNA
VNA
