ID Nugroho, Surabaya – A clash erupted between thousands of protesting workers demanding the minimum wage be raised and police in the East Java capital Surabaya on Monday, with dozens of workers injured and eight others arrested.

Over 10,000 workers from 24 labor groups in the province took part in the protest, the latest and largest in East Java since the provincial administration raised the minimum wage from Rp 578,000 (US$57.80) per month to Rp 665,000.

Arriving on trucks and motorcycles, the protesters demanded Governor Imam Utomo raise the provincial minimum wage to Rp 800,000, in response to the rising prices of goods following the increase in fuel prices.

The governor declined to meet with the protesters. He said he had already met with representatives of the 24 labor groups, and an agreement had been reached to perform a new survey of basic living costs in East Java in exchange for an end to the protests.

"We reached an agreement with representatives of the labor groups and a new minimum wage will be announced on Jan. 31 at the latest," Imam told journalists at his home.

But protesters were not swayed and they continued with their action Monday, the largest protest since the middle of last month.

Thousands of workers threatened to occupy the governor's office until he met with them to hear their grievances. Hundreds of police officers prevented the workers from getting into the office, but could not stop them from tearing down a fence.

The protesters dispersed only after police turned water cannons on them. Police also attempted to stop journalists from covering the protest. "We cannot accept the actions of the police. We will sue the police for this," Jamaluddin, a spokesman for the workers, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the labor organizations would call for a province-wide strike if their demands were not met. "Setting the minimum wage at Rp 655,000 is wrong. We want it raised to Rp 800,000 or we will go on strike," he said.

Businesspeople in the province responded cooly to the demand for a higher minimum wage. Suharto, a spokesman for PT Maspion, one of the province's largest companies with 50 factories in Sidoardjo and Gresik manufacturing household appliances, said raising the minimum wage would put a lot of companies out of business.

"That is a lot, Rp 800,000. Lots of companies would go bankrupt if that was approved," he told the Post, urging the workers to return to the factories.

Since the fuel price increases last October, Maspion has shut down three of its factories, putting hundreds of people out of work.