Thousands of Indonesian workers protest for better conditions

JAKARTA : In Indonesia, thousands of workers took to the streets in five major cities including the nation's capital Jakarta on Wednesday.

Those in Jakarta, who were mostly from the Federation of Metal Workers' Union, made several demands including having universal healthcare and their right to protest.

They are demanding that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issue a presidential decree that would lead to universal health insurance for all Indonesians by 2019.

This health insurance programme has been approved and will start as of 2014 but the Presidential decree required has yet to be issued.

Said Iqbal, President, Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers' Union, said: "If a government regulation and Presidential decree, which was supposed to be issued last November, is not introduced then steps for universal healthcare cannot begin. That's why the government is obliged to introduce the necessary regulations by late February, which includes guaranteeing that employers pay for their workers' insurance premium fees and that the poor will be able to receive government's healthcare."

One of the other demands made is a guarantee for a pension fund for labour workers from 2015

The workers are also calling for the provincial government to raise the number of components in the reasonable cost index from around 60 to 80 components.

This index is used as a benchmark to determine minimum wage increases for next year.

The workers are also objecting to two bills on national security and social organisation being deliberated in Parliament

They claim that if these two bills are passed then it will curb their right to protest in the streets citing security reasons.

If their demands are not met, the next major rally will be on 26 February by the Indonesian Labour Workers Association, the biggest labour union in Indonesia.

The union has warned that if its demands are not met by the end of April, then there will be an all out labour rally across the nation on Labour Day, 1st May.

(source: www.channelnewsasia.com)