Tomorrow! 10,000 Workers From 24 Provinces Will Take To The Streets, Said Iqbal: We Ask For 2022 UMK To Increase 10 Percent

JAKARTA - The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) will stage a demonstration to take to the streets to demand a district/city minimum wage (UMK) of 10 percent. The action will be held at local government offices in 24 provinces, tomorrow morning and will be attended by more than 10,000 workers or workers nationally.

KSPI President Said Iqbal said the demonstration would be attended by 1,000 factories in 24 provinces and more than 100 regencies/cities. The demonstration will start at 09.00 or 10.00 local time until it is finished.

"Tomorrow, October 26, all KPI members will hold a non-virtual field demonstration. The total number of people who will be involved is more than 10 thousand people nationally. Nationally at the DPRD offices, Regents, Mayors, Governors, there is no action at the DPR, the Palace , Tapal Kuda, for the Jakarta area, the action will be centered at the Governor's office at City Hall," he said in a virtual press conference, Monday, October 25.

He stressed that demonstrations would not be held in front of the State Palace, the DPR Building and the Horse Statue. Because, said Iqbal, this action is a regional action carried out simultaneously nationally.

"For the Jakarta area, the action will be centered at the City Hall, the DKI Jakarta Governor's office," he explained.

Iqbal said the demonstration was the initial attitude of workers asking for an increase in the Regency/City Minimum Wage (UMK) next year to reach 7 to 10 percent. Because based on the survey results, an average of 60 items of decent living needs (KHL) have increased.

"From the survey, it was found that the most experiencing price increases was transportation, especially public transportation with very few pandemics operating so they switched to online transportation so that transportation costs rose sharply. The prices of basic commodities also increased by an average of 7-10 percent," he said.

Iqbal said that if the government does not respond to tomorrow's action, then it will take even bigger action and it is possible that it will end in a national strike by stopping production.

"Tomorrow is the initial action of workers taking to the streets. If we don't hear about it, there will be further actions and the climax does not rule out the possibility of going on strike, stopping production, but we will see how it develops," he explained.

In addition to the 2022 UMK, there are a number of other demands from workers, namely the district/city sectoral minimum wage (UMSK). Iqbal asked the UMK to continue to apply even though the provision was abolished in the Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

The reason, said Iqbal, is that the Omnibus Law on job creation is still in the process of judicial review or formal testing since it was sued and has not yet received a decision from the Constitutional Court (MK).

"The Omnibus Law on Job Creation is being sued, there has been no decision from the Constitutional Court. To fill the legal vacuum, you must follow PP 78 of 2015 concerning wages (there is a UMSK), not PP 36 of 2021 (there is no UMSK)," he explained.

Not only that, Iqbal said that in the action tomorrow the labor unions will also voice their demands to urge the government to revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation. According to Iqbal, the law is a labor crime.

"Other countries protect both good and bad workers who will enter the labor market, workers who are working, and workers who will end their work because of old age or retirement," he said.

Finally, the issue that will be raised in tomorrow's action is the collective work agreement (PKB). Iqbal said that those who rejected the value of the PKB were lowered as in the Omnibus Law.

Iqbal said that PKB was included in Law Number 13 of 2003, but it was not included in the Omnibus Law.

"For example, the Omnibus Law regulates the UMK for contract employees whose working period is 1 year and below. In the PKB it regulates the wages for permanent employees of 1 year and above. This means that the value is higher, we don't want the value of the PKB to be lowered like the Omnibus Law," he explained. .