2021 May Day: Labor Unions to Take COVID-19 Swab Tests before Rallies
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30 April 2021 20:56 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Metro Police Head of Public Relations Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said his side hoped that labor unions would refrain from staging rallies to commemorate Labor Day or May Day. “We do not prohibit them because expressing opinions in public is under the law. As long as they abide by the regulations, we are ready to guard them,” said Yusri at his office, Friday, April 30.
To anticipate COVID-19 transmission, he said a number of labor unions including the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) and the All-Indonesia Workers' Union (SPSI) requested antigen swab tests from the Metro Police.
The police will facilitate the tests and have formed a health team. “So there will be antigen swab test checks before the rallies,” Yusri added.
The Jakarta Metro Police have received several notification letters from labor unions for tomorrow’s demonstrations. The mass gathering point would be at Arjuna Wijaya Statue before the Constitutional Court (MK) building and the International Labor Organization (ILO) of Indonesia representative in Central Jakarta.
“The event will kick off in the morning and end at noon. There will also be rallies until the afternoon,” said Yusri. The police appealed to workers to comply with the predetermined health protocols against COVID-19 during the May Day rallies. The police will take action if the policy is violated, he said.
Read: KSPI Warns Jokowi: International Labor Unions Highlight Job Creation Law
M YUSUF MANURUNG