Bandung – Around 150 workers who say they are members of the Indonesian Labor Movement (KASBI) union, staged a rally demanding 100 percent wage increases next year.

Wearing red shirts, the workers protested by making speeches accompanied with traditional music and a poster that said, "raise wages 100 percent".

Rally coordinator Sudyanto said employees' basic wages had not risen significantly over the years, with the increase during the 2009-2011 period recorded at only 6 percent. "It's truly not offsetting the ever-increasing basic cost of living, which has gone up between 20 and 40 percent.

KASBI said that the minimum pay for workers in West Java should increase by 40 percent next year to meet their basic needs. "The expected rise would be the minimum pay needed to meet families' needs. If we want a normal standard of living then the increase must be 100 percent," he said.

He decried the fact that a 2005 ministerial decree on workers' pay was an impediment to higher wages.

"The decree only regulates payment for non-married workers. The decree is not offering a solution to help workers achieve decent standard of living," he said, adding that Governor Ahmad Heryawan must address the 100 percent pay raise.