Thousands of workers to protest Indonesia’s labour, wage regulations

Bloomberg

Thousands of workers plan to carry out protests against Indonesia’s labour, wage and health insurance regulations, which they say are discriminatory, raising fresh risks for the stability of Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Around 50,000 workers will join the protest in front of the parliament building in Jakarta, according to Said Iqbal, president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI). Protests will also take place in nine other cities and towns across the country, Iqbal said by phone, putting the total participant estimate at 150,000.
The workers will voice their objection to existing wage calculation policy and the planned increase of health insurance premiums.
The protests come two days after Iqbal and Andi Gani Nena Wea, president of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers’ Union or KSPSI, met with President Joko Widodo.
In a statement released by the president’s press office, Iqbal said the unions and government would discuss the labor and wage regulations in a team and that they fully supported the administration.
“We had a long discussion,” Jokowi, as Widodo is known, said. “We talked about how we build good investment climate and those related to labour,” the president said, noting he would consider their feedback.