Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Thousands of workers in West Java took to the streets again Monday in protest over the fixed city and regency minimum wage schemes.

Workers from the West Bandung industrial area blockaded the Padalarang highway causing congestion and back-ups for up to 10 kilometers which lasted four hours.

Hundreds of police personnel were kept busy directing the clogged up Padalarang traffic while other protesters assembled in front of the West Bandung regency offices.

West Bandung is one of the province's five cities and regencies which has delayed submitting its minimum-wage proposal for the governor's approval by Nov. 20 due to the deadlock at the Remuneration Council, made up of workers, academics and government officials with the approval of the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo). The stalemate set in after a difference of Rp 17,500 (US$1.50) in the monthly rate could not be resolved.

Apindo demanded West Bandung's monthly minimum wage next year be set at Rp 1,002,500, while members of the Remuneration Council demanded it be fixed higher at Rp 1,020,000.

Spokesperson for West Bandung's chapter of the National Workers Union (SPN) Ahmad Yahya said workers favored neither option, perferring the minimum wage be set to match the cost of living as estimated by the West Bandung Remuneration Council, Rp 1,166,000.

"If they just want to hit the gavel, why conduct expensive surveys to determine workers' cost of living? Just rate our work according to the wishes of employers and officials," Yahya said.

Separately, hundreds of workers in Bekasi municipality and regency staged rallies opposing the minimum wage scheme approved by West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan on Friday, calling it unfair because it failed to categorize workers according to the industries which employed them.

They rallied before the governor's offices on Jl. Diponegoro in Bandung, to protest the gubernatorial decree setting minimum wages in 21 cities and regencies scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2009.

Rahmat, spokesperson for the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation at the Toshiba factory in Bekasi, said the governor's decision ignored existing Group 1 and Group 2 wage categories.

In Bekasi city, Group 1 includes workers involved in metal, automotive, paper, cooking oil, chemical, rubber and plastic industries; Group 2 includes workers involved in electronics, wood and banking services.

"If the description is unclear, our fate will also be unclear," Rahmat said.

Worker representatives at the Bekasi Remuneration Council Mahmud said the gubernatorial decree had failed to thoroughly consider the minimum wage set by the previous governor in 2007 who had defined the worker categories.

"You just have to look at the drafts which set the minimum wage last year, especially those submitted by the mayor and regent of Bekasi. Those were clearly defined and met workers' expectations," Mahmud said.

They demanded the governor immediately revise the decree in order to appease more than 1 million workers in both areas and prevent social unrest. The crowd from Bekasi dispersed after Bekasi's regent Sadudin, attending meetings at the governor's offices in Bandung, told them he had sent revision letters to all the workers' unions in Bekasi on Monday.

"The information was late, but I guarantee there won't be any protests once they've received and reviewed the explanations," Sadudin said.

West Bandung Regent Abubakar, who also attended the meeting, declined to comment on the protests in his area.

Governor Heryawan said he was still waiting for the minimum wage proposals from the five regencies and municipalities so they could be immediately approved.