Imron Rosyid, Surakarta – Employers in the Central Java city of Surakarta (Solo) have threatened to send thousands of their workers onto the streets if the government goes ahead and increases electricity rates. Workers have agreed to hold joint actions with employers and students including launching a boycott on paying electricity bills.

“If the government is still determined to increase electricity rates, then businesspeople won’t pay the electricity [bills]”, said the executive secretary of the Solo Indonesian Employers Association, Pank Supardi, on Friday February 24.

Supardi said that not long ago that Solo employers, trade unions and student organisations made an agreement to form a joint coalition against the planned increases to electricity rates. The coalition, named the Student Employer Worker Movement (Gerakan Mahasiswa Pengusaha Buruh, Gemuruh), plans to hold a street action on Saturday March 4. The planned action was confirmed by the chairperson of the Solo National Workers Union (SPN) Hudi Wasisto who said that workers were given permission not to go to work but to go into the streets instead. “Students oppose [the price increases] moreover workers as well”, he said.

According to Aji Kurnia from the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), increases to basic electricity rates are unacceptable to the public on any grounds. He said that it is unreasonable for the public to be burdened because of the inefficiencies of the state-owned electricity company PT PLN. In fact the basic supply cost of electricity set by PT PLN of as much as 1,052 rupiah per Kilowatt-hour is the highest in Asia. “Increasing rates on the grounds of filling the [shortfall] in PLN’s operational costs as a consequence of fuel price increases is totally wrong”, he said.

[Translated by James Balowski.]