Jakarta – At least 5,000 outsourced workers from various state-owned companies (BUMN) plan to stage a rally in Jakarta on Monday to demand that their companies promote them to permanent staff.

The workers are on contract at state-owned enterprises in Greater Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and Lampung, said Alliance of State Companies Workers (Geber BUMN) coordinator Ais on Saturday.

"We expect 5,000 to 10,000 people to take part in the rally," he said at a press conference at the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta).

Ais said the workers were employed by different state companies, in particular "strategic ones that need attention like [electricity company] PT PLN, [oil and gas company] PT Pertamina, [telecommunication operator] PT Telkom and flag carrier Garuda Airlines".

Protesters will start rallying in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, and march to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and then to the Presidential Palace.

The workers will demand that state companies promote them to permanent workers following a recommendation by legislators in October. Earlier, House Commission IX on manpower issued a recommendation that outsourcing be eliminated at all state-owned companies.

"It's been 10 months since the House formed a working committee to eliminate outsourcing, but there has been no clear action regarding our status," said Ais. He said that workers demanded that the government form a task force to make sure the companies followed through on the House recommendation.

"[State Enterprises Minister] Dahlan Iskan lied publicly when he told the media that the companies had promoted tens of thousands of outsourced workers to permanent staff. The truth is that none of our friends have been hired permanently," said Ais, adding that some outsourced workers were given multi-year contracts instead.

The workers will also demand that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remove Dahlan from his post for lying. In November, Dahlan told reporter that several state companies, such as Pertamina, PLN and Telkom, had made 37,000 outsourced workers permanent staff and that more would follow.

Besides Monday's rally, a strike is planned for Dec. 31 if the demand remains unfulfilled, said Ais. "Outsourced workers will stop working on the day," he said. (nai)