Demands For May Day 2024 Action Workers, From Women's Worker Rights, Outsourcing, To Farmers' Subsidies

Demonstration of workers commemorating May Day in Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Thousands of workers gathered on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Jakarta voiced a number of demands in commemoration of International Labor Day (May Day) May 1, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The action, which was attended by dozens of labor unions, demanded a number of workers' rights, including the rights of female workers, the welfare of industrial workers, as well as subsidies for farmers and fishermen.

Based on VOI.ID's monitoring, wearing a t-shirt that indicates the color of each union, thousands of workers carry attributes in the form of flags, banners, and posters containing demands. Coordinated by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI), hundreds of workers gathered at the Horse Statue, Jakarta to carry out a long march to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout.

Although the long march is scheduled at 09.30 WIB, until 09.45 the participants of the action are still gathering at the Horse Statue to wait for other participants to arrive.

In this labor action, there are two main demands that are being called for, namely the revocation of the Omnibus Law or the Job Creation Law and the elimination of outsourced labor with low wages. However, each union or organization also carries different demands.

One of them is the All-Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI), demanding that workers get wages according to the applicable regional minimum wage (UMR) and receive welfare benefits, such as health insurance or other benefits.

"First, the wages or UMR must be appropriate, the increase must be every year. Second, the welfare we want is like health benefits and others," said Hendrik, a worker worker in a company in Cikarang, who is a member of the SPSI, in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 1.

On the other hand, the Indonesian Women's Alliance voiced a number of rights for female workers. One of the participants in the demonstration, Triombung Sitorus from Marsinah.id, said that female workers often get discrimination in the workplace, in the form of career opportunities that are not the same as male workers. He also highlighted the rights of women who have not been fully fulfilled, such as maternity leave.

"I prefer to support the KIA Law (Mother and Child Welfare) on how maternity leave requires women who work, in addition to proper facilities at work," said Trisombung.

Demands were also filed from farmers and fishermen unions who are members of the Militant Labor Union Federation. The welfare of farmers and fishermen is the main issue that is being raised. One of them is related to fertilizer subsidies to farmers who are not yet on target.

"Subsidies are for farmers and fishermen. Fertilizer subsidies already exist, but are often not on target. Do not close the production. The amount of fertilizer is lacking, the distribution is uneven," said the coordinator of the action of the Militant Labor Union Federation, Ilham.

KSPI claims that there are 50,000 workers participating in this year's May Day action. Participants are scheduled to do a long march or walk together from the Horse Statue to the HI Roundabout at 09.30 WIB, then return to the Horse Statue during the day. Furthermore, participants will move to the Madya Senayan Stadium at 13.00 to voice a number of demands.