Indonesians Strike for Minimum Wage and Fair Labour Laws

Hundreds of thousands of Indonesian workers are taking strike action and holding mass rallies to demand a fair minimum wage and protection for workers from phony employment arrangements which remove employer obligations through ’outsourcing’ arrangements. 

The country-wide mobilisation, starting on 30 October will last for two days, with stop-work actions in several workplaces already underway in advance.

Public opinion in Indonesia strongly favours better labour protections and a decent minimum wage, as revealed in the ITUC Global Opinion Poll released in 2012. The poll showed that 61% of Indonesians want better laws to protect job security, while only 43% of households are able to save any money. 90% support government action in favour of health care and education. 

"Indonesian workers are putting forward straightforward demands that working people everywhere recognise are just and necessary. Workers there deserve a fair share of the economic cake just like anywhere else, and we wholeheartedly support their struggle for dignity at work and an economy that works for all" said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018