MMI Ahyani/Swastika & GB, Bandung – Around 2,000 factory workers in West Java staged a rally at the Governor's office demanding a pay rise and the establishment of a National Workers Council.

The protesters blocked the main entrance of the Governor's office in Bandung, the capital of West Java, Friday. Friday's rally is a continuation of a similar action staged on Thursday.

In their previous rally, the workers demanded the Regional Minimum Payment (UMR) for the West Java area be made equal with UMR for the Jakarta area, which is higher according to a policy formulated by the government several months ago. To be precise, they demanded the minimum wage for West Java be raised from Rp 280,000 (US$ 32.50) to Rp 344.257 (US$ 39.90) per month.

Besides their wage demands, the workers also demand the establishment of a National Workers Council. "Government policies regulated by the Ministry of Manpower or any other workers unions legalised by the government are not sufficient," a rallying worker said. The workers urged their representatives to be actively involved in the formation of an independent National Workers Council.

The rally disrupted activities at the Governor's office as the crowd blanketed the grounds and blocked the main entrance. Employees and visitors could not get in and out of the office.

The workers at the rally represented several workers' unions and company-based labour organisations from municipalities across West Java province. Several groups came on their company buses, such as PT Unitex from Bogor and PT Fujitex from Bandung, notably foreign owned companies. Several representatives were received by government officials.