Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Workers in Jakarta have threatened to go on strike on October 31 and November 1 in protest against the newly-announced provincial minimum wage.

"We will strike work in protest against the new provincial minimum wage set by virtue of government regulation number 78 of 2014, that involves a mere 8.25 percent hike in provincial minimum wage," Chief of the Jakarta Labor Movement (GBJ) Presidium, Mirah Sumirat, said here on Friday.

He opposed Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiris decision of fixing the minimum wage arbitrarily by referring to Government Regulation No. 78/2015.

"A statement by the Manpower Minister that Government Regulation No. 78/2015 is the best policy instrument to resolve wage-related problem is a big lie," he stressed.

Quoting article 88 para (4) of Law No. 13/2003 concerning manpower, he claimed that the government should set provincial minimum wage based on the official decent living standard by observing productivity and economic growth.

"The Law No.13/2003 has a higher validity than Government Regulation No. 78/2015," he underscored.

Meanwhile, Yulianto of the Jakarta Chapter of All-Indonesia Labor Union (SPSI) demanded that the 2017 provincial minimum wage be set at Rp3,831,690, based on the result of a survey on decent living standard.

In fact, SPSI and Aspek Indonesia have conducted a survey in seven traditional markets and two modern markets which put the official decent living standard wage at Rp3,491.607.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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