"Long March" and Demonstrations Color the Commemoration of International Labor Day in Lampung

Hundreds of workers in Lampung held a walk and demonstration in Bandar Lampung on Wednesday (1/5/2024).

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Workers held a march and protest to commemorate International Workers' Day in Bandar Lampung, Lampung on Wednesday (1/5/2024).

BANDAR LAMPUNG, KOMPAS — Hundreds of workers in Lampung staged a walk and demonstration in Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Wednesday (1/5/2024). The action to commemorate International Workers' Day is also a forum for conveying aspirations regarding workers' rights.

The protest was attended by a number of labor organizations in Lampung, including the Federation of Karya Utama Labor Union, the Federation of Food and Beverage Labor Union, the Federation of Indonesian Labor Union Movement, and the National Union Conference. Additionally, the demonstration was also attended by some students from the National Student League for Democracy and activists from the Lampung Sebay Women's Solidarity Community.

After walking, the workers gathered around Tugu Adipura, which is a bustling center in the city of Bandar Lampung. They carried banners containing their demands to the government. In addition, the workers held a public speech.

The demonstration was guarded by security forces from the Bandar Lampung Police. In addition to monitoring the protest, several police officers also gave flowers to the demonstrators during the rally.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

A demonstration was held in Bandar Lampung on Wednesday (1/5/2024) to commemorate International Workers' Day. The action was attended by hundreds of workers from various unions as well as a number of student organizations.

Heri Purwanto, as coordinator of the action, said that the workers are moving together with students and activists in Lampung to commemorate International Workers' Day in order to convey the aspirations and rights of laborers. In addition to the protest, the labor union will also hold social service activities to help fellow workers and the poor in the city.

According to him, the labor union is collaborating with various student organizations in Lampung to provide free health and legal consultations as well as distribution of appropriate clothing.

"Hopefully, we can help oppressed people and this action can serve as a tool to urge policymakers to address wage issues," said Heri during the demonstration.

In the action, the labour union addressed the issue of the insufficient increase of the Lampung Provincial Minimum Wage in 2024. The increase of only 3.16 percent in 2024 is considered inadequate compared to the rise in living costs.

The amount of the Lampung Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) for 2024 has been declared in the Governor of Lampung's Decree Number G/694/V.08/HK/2023. Based on the decree, the UMP for Lampung in 2024 is set at IDR 2,716,497.

With that determination, Lampung UMP increased by 3.16 percent or Rp 83,213.41 compared to the 2023 UMP of Rp 2,633,284.59.

Tri Susilo from the Indonesian Federation of Trade Unions views that the 3.16% increase of the minimum wage in Lampung is a setback compared to the previous year. He stated that workers actually requested for a 10-15% increase in the Lampung minimum wage in 2024. However, this year's minimum wage increase is even lower than the previous year.

In 2023, the minimum wage in Lampung will increase by 7.9 percent from Rp 2,440,486.18 to Rp 2,633,284.59. If calculated, last year's minimum wage increase was Rp 192,798.41, more than double compared to this year's increase.

"This year is very difficult for working groups because the increase in the UMP is not commensurate with the increase in the cost of living," he said.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

The police officers from the Bandar Lampung Police station distributed flowers to demonstrators during the International Workers' Day commemoration in Bandar Lampung, Lampung, on Wednesday (1/5/2024).

Tri added that the protection of basic needs for the community has not improved. "This causes the increasing cost of basic services such as education, water, electricity, food, health, transportation, and other basic services because they are controlled by market mechanisms," he said.

Also read: Hundreds of Workers in Lampung Protest

Policy

Apart from the issue of UMP, the Labor Union also mentioned policies that are deemed unsympathetic towards workers. One of which is Government Regulation No. 78 of 2015 regarding Wages. This policy is considered to make it difficult for worker's wages to increase, thus workers are not yet prosperous.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Workers held a walk and demonstration to commemorate International Labor Day in Bandar Lampung, Wednesday (1/5/2024).

Apart from that, the ratification of the Job Creation Law and its derivative regulations also makes workers increasingly vulnerable to being entangled in the chain of poverty.

On the other hand, the government is considered to provide ease of doing business and incentives to entrepreneurs on a large scale. However, the reckless industrial practices cause environmental damage.

Supeno (52), a worker from Kota Bandar Lampung, who participated in the protest, stated that the increase in wages for workers has not accommodated the rising cost of living. He mentioned that the cost of living for his family ranges from Rp 5 million to Rp 6 million per month. However, his salary as a company's outsourced worker is only around Rp 3 million.

"This is what workers are facing today. "Our conditions are getting more difficult," he said.

Also read: Workers in Lampung Demand Welfare