Tangerang – Hundreds of factory workers grouped under the Indonesian Metal Workers Labor Union Federation (FSPMI) staged a rally on Jl. Raya Serang kilometer 17 in Cikupa, Tangerang regency, on Thursday to [protest the] lower the monthly wage policy applied by the factory management.

The rally paralyzed traffic in both directions between Serang and Tangerang, with queues reaching 5 kilometers as workers gathered outside the factory compound.

The workers said their employer, PT Elena Indonesia, had ignored their rights and breached the Banten Gubernatorial Regulation on the 2013 minimum wage.

Wahyu, one of the protesters, said the company management had signed an agreement with the workers in February that it would pay them in accordance with the minimum Rp 2.2 million (US$226) monthly wage as set by the administration in December.

"The company management broke the agreement and only paid each worker Rp 1.8 million per month instead," he said. The company had yet to comment.