Indonesian legislators have "doubled" their own pay despite protests from trade unionists and student organisations. Local media reports say the average monthly wage of the 500 members of the House of Representatives is now about US$1,200. This came after the Legislature voted to approve the bill last month and the pay hikes took effect on 1 April.

The Indonesian government has said that a 100 percent pay rise for legislators is necessary. It argued that the massive salary hike for the president, ministers, legislators and other senior officials will help eradicate corruption. Although there are no available statistics on the average monthly salaries in Indonesia, some reports say the minimum wage ranges from US$30 to US$45 a month.

This is clearly not enough as highlighted by street demonstrations by Indonesian workers and students in recent weeks. They have been demanding pay raises for themselves.

At the same time, the protestors were against senior officials and legislators who have granted themselves much larger pay rises than those given to lower-level civil servants.

On Monday, hundreds of workers took part in a May Day march through Jakarta, urging the government to double minimum salaries.

Lawmakers themselves have admitted that salary hikes will face public opposition, which helps explain why the salary increase was not publicized last month. The government agreed to raise civil servants salaries by 30 percent on average during the current budget year. But it is still discussing with the International Monetary Fund on when to push the pay increases through.