Anita Rachman – Friday's mass labor action in Bekasi which crippled traffic, shut down stores and led to billions of rupiah in losses, showed how Indonesian workers are increasingly finding their voice and using it, officials and analysts said.

Protesters were expressing their dissatisfaction about a ruling on Thursday that revoked a West Java gubernatorial decree that raised the minimum wage from Rp 1.29 million to Rp 1.49 million ($144 to $167).

Thousands of workers blocked the Cikarang toll road, creating traffic jams stretching 20 kilometers and forcing a number of stores in the area to close. Manpower and Transmigration Ministry spokesman Suhartono said the ministry now recognized how far workers were willing to go on issues such as pay.

"[This is why] we are pushing our local offices to hold more tripartite dialogues to prevent occurrences such as this," he said, noting that similar disruptive protests over the minimum wage had taken place in other parts of the country.

In one of the worst incidents, violent riots broke out in Batam, Riau, in late November, also over minimum wage negotiations. At least 15 people were injured as workers and police officers hurled rocks at each other outside the mayor's office. Massive property damage was reported.

Nurkholis Hidayat, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), said workers were braver now, willing to risk their jobs make their views known.

"They are tired of how the legal system never sides with them," he said. It might also be, he continued, that workers were encouraged by other protests.

Last year, a months-long strike by more than 8,000 Freeport workers and 1,600 contractors slashed production at a lucrative mine in Papua by 50 percent. The strike ended with a 37 percent pay increase for the lowest earners. "A domino effect might be on its way," Nurkholis said.

Another factor was the weakness of the government as supposed mediator, said Ahmad Erani Yustika, an economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance. In the Bekasi case, he said, the local government should have mediated and strived to reach an agreement to prevent the parties from having to go to court.

So far, it's not clear how the standoff between the Bekasi workers and the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) will play out. Obon Tabroni, a coordinator for the workers, said they were ready to lose their jobs if they had to. Apindo has exhibited a similar bearing, insisting it will stick to its contentious approach.

Thus the standoff will likely continue, resulting in billions more in losses from traffic jams, lost productivity, delay in the movement of people and goods and even damage to property until one side gives in.

Bekasi is home to several manufacturing facilities that produce products both for export and domestic consumption.

Erani said it was difficult to tell which side was more obstinate. "I can't predict who will bear more [financial] losses if things remain the same as today. But I don't think the workers can hold on to this kind of situation for long," he said.

However, he added that it shouldn't be about which side should give in. "Both sides should. It's more important to find a win-win solution, and it must happen," Erani said.

Suhartono said the government would also push for both sides to go back to the negotiating table for more talks. "Everyone should win," he said.