Workers Threaten To Strike If Demands For UMP Rise 10 Percent Unheard: We Have Lost Our Minds About The Manpower Policy

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) still wants the provincial minimum wage or UMP in 2022 to increase by 7 to 10 percent. The workers also rejected the 2022 UMP calculation scheme that the government would issue through the Ministry of Manpower or the Ministry of Manpower. In fact, they will stage demonstrations and even strike if their demands are not heard.

KSPI President Said Iqbal assessed that the possible wage increase through the regulation was far lower than the workers' expectations. According to him, the average wage increase under this regulation is only 1.09 percent.

Furthermore, Iqbal said that the wage arrangement would be much worse due to the application of an upper and lower limit in the provision of wages.

Based on the calculation of KSPI, said Iqbal, this provision has the potential to reduce workers' income to only 50 percent if the entrepreneur chooses the lowest tariff.

Therefore, KSPI firmly rejects the minimum wage policy plan to be issued by the Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah. This refusal will also be accompanied by various actions, including demonstrations to a national strike.

"So KSPI has coordinated with other labor unions, almost more than 60 workers from the national confederation will hold a national strike. The production stop is followed by 2 million workers. Hundreds of factories will stop production in many districts," he said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday, November 16. .

According to Iqbal, the strike is the peak action that will be held by the workers. Starting this month they will carry out demonstrations in the form of demonstrations in the regions.

Furthermore, said Iqbal, after holding demonstrations in the regions, demonstrations will also be centered at the State Palace, the Indonesian Parliament Building, and the Ministry of Manpower. This national action will be followed by tens of thousands of workers.

"This new peak is still tentative, between December 6-8 the national strike. We have lost our minds about the Minister of Manpower's policy, and the evil consensus of the ministers," he explained.

Iqbal emphasized that the demonstration which will be held during the COVID-19 pandemic will comply with health protocols. Iqbal also said that his party would coordinate with the COVID-19 task force team.

Previously, the government had projected an increase in the 2022 UMP by 1.09 percent. Figures are the result of calculations from data released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), such as economic growth figures to the area's consumption.