Intention To Demo Until Night, Workers Hope Sudirman-Thamrin Office Workers Join

Demonstrations In The Horse Statue Area Of Central Jakarta/PHOTO: Diah Ayu-VOI

JAKARTA - A group of workers who are members of a number of alliances plan to occupy the demonstration point on Jalan MH Thamrin until the evening. Now, they have gathered and started to rotate alternately.

"The latest information is until 21.00 WIB at night. Everything here is centered here," said a representative from the Indonesian Trade Union Alliance Congress (KASBI), Ahmad Taufik when met at the location, Thursday, August 10.

Ahmad Taufik hopes that employees based in buildings along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and MH Thamrin will join the mass action demanding the rejection of the Job Creation Law.

"So the motorbikes are not placed in parking bags because of the orientation to occupy the road and invite workers in the office. Therefore, we may stay on the road," he said.

Taufik admitted that initially the labor group wanted to raid the Constitutional Court (MK) building to demand the revocation of the Job Creation Law, however, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat had been closed with concrete barriers and barbed wire since morning.

"Want to go to the Constitutional Court, it will only be blocked at the Horse Statue. But the action will be put together here along Jalan Sudirman-Thamrin," said Ahmad Taufik.

"But the second option attracted the attention of friends/friends at the office for action, because they were also affected by the Job Creation Law. That's why yesterday, fellow workers sent leaflets to the offices so they could get involved in this action," he added.

The workers who are members of the Alliance of the People's Labor Movement (GEBRAK) and the Axis Alliance of One Million Workers (AASB) have blocked Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta. The Horse Statue Roundabout was also blocked by the mass of workers who spilled over.

As a result of this demonstration, traffic around Jalan MH Thamrin stalled. A number of officers from the police and the Transportation Service also regulated the flow of vehicles at the intersection.

In today's demonstration, the labor group carried the attributes of flags and banners that read their rejection of the Job Creation Law.

They also brought a statue of a 2 meter tall rat. The statue, which symbolizes that the corruptor is seen carrying a suitcase containing money and a document from the Job Creation Law.