Workers Urge Govt to Raise 2024 Minimum Wage by 15%

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Labor Party and trade union organizations in Indonesia pushed the government to make an immediate decision on their demands for a 15 percent increase in the minimum wage for 2024. The party’s president said the increase is necessary as wages for civil servants (PNS) and retirees had been raised and the Omnibus Law on Job Creation had been passed.

“This demand must certainly be hastened and is urgent, taking into account the government's decision to increase the salaries of civil servants, TNI (military), Polri (police), and retirees, as well as the forceful implementation of the Omnibus Law on job creation,” Said Iqbal said in a press statement on Friday, October 6, 2023.

President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has indeed increased the salaries of central and regional civil servants and military and police personnel by eight percent and retirees by 12 percent for 2024. This was announced during his annual state budget speech at the Senayan Parliament on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

In addition to the wage hikes, Iqbal emphasized that the workers continue to demand the repeal of Law No. 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation. He said that the unrest caused by the omnibus law has also attracted world attention. In the near future, the International Labor Organization (ILO) will visit Indonesia directly led by Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo from Africa.

“In order to check whether this Omnibus Law violates ILO Convention No. 98 concerning the Right to Organize and Conduct Collective Bargaining because there is actually no right to bargain [in the omnibus law],” said Said Iqbal.

He said that several countries have supported Indonesian workers in their struggle against the Omnibus Law. These include the UK, Brazil, and Australia. In fact, Said Iqbal also asked the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to help carry out the rejection action.

Said Iqbal assessed that workers will face greater challenges in the future, which must be overcome together in a bid to realize a 'Prosperous Country'.

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said on Wednesday, August 16, that the National Wages Council (Depenas) was studying the input while finalizing the revision of Government Regulation (PP) No. 36 of 2021 on wages.

“The decision will be issued in November, so it will be done before then. We are absorbing aspirations to perfect the revision of PP No. 36 of 2021,” she said at the Parliament Building, Central Jakarta.

Minister Ida Fauziyah also emphasized that economic growth and controlled inflation will surely lead to an increase in the minimum wage. “We are using data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS),” she added.

MOH. KHORY ALFARIZI

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