Semarang – Thousands of workers took to the streets of Central Java's capital on Tuesday to protest a Rp 50,000 difference in the proposed minimum monthly wage.

The protesters urged the government to set next year's minimum monthly wage at Rp 944,538 ($100). Semarang's mayor has only promised Rp 893,000.

The workers gathered on Jalan Pemuda in central Semarang, causing major traffic problems and forcing officials to temporarily close off the area. Equipped with loud speakers, the demonstrators rallied noisily in front of City Hall.

A number of local labor organizations carried signs saying: "Rp 893,000? Can we afford to feed our children?" and "Pak Mayor, don't be corrupt over wages." According to the workers, the mayor's proposal was not in line with recommendations from a survey by the city's wage regulation board.

Nanang Setyono, chief of the Semarang branch of the National Workers' Union, said there had been two recommendations made based on calculations of the cost of living. "Semarang SPN's proposal was Rp 944,538, while from Apindo [the Indonesian Employers Association] it was Rp 939,755," he said. "Now comes a new proposal, which is Rp 893,000."

Nanang said Semarang's minimum wage had met the estimated cost of living for the past two years, but that Rp 893,000 was only enough for workers without families and children to feed. The rally was monitored by the Semarang Police but ended peacefully and without incident.