Tangerang – Hundreds of factory workers held a rally in Tangerang regency on Friday, disrupting a ceremony to commemorate the regency's 70th anniversary.

Workers from detergent producer PT Sinar Antjol gathered at the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) in Tigaraksa and demanded that the councilors and Regent Ahmed Zaki Iskandar Zulkarnaen intervene in a dispute between them and their company's management.

"The management dismissed 348 of our colleagues last month for being involved in a series of strikes and rallies. The Manpower and Transmigration Agency has tried to mediate the dispute, but the meeting ended in a deadlock. Since there is no clarity over the rights of the dismissed workers, we are once again taking to the streets," said Aris Kristianto, chairman of Sinar Antjol's labor union, the PUK-SPSI.

Meanwhile, during the commemoration at the DPRD, Banten Deputy Governor Rano Karno said that the regency administration should focus more on development and public welfare.

Rano, formerly Tangerang's deputy regent, said the administration still had much room for improvement. "I hope that the Tangerang regency will prioritize welfare for its residents," he said.