Bibin Bintariadi, Malang – Commemorating International Labour Day on May 1, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) demanded that media employers provide journalists with a decent wage.

According to AJI advocacy division coordinator Heru Triatmojo, many media owners are yet to pay journalists a decent wage. “There are even some who pay wages below the minimum regional wage,” said Triatmojo.

The AJI demonstrators held the action at the Malang City Monument Square along with labour organisations from the Malang People’s Alliance (ARM).

Triatmojo said that paying journalists a reasonable wage would have a positive impact on advancing the companies. A reasonable wage would influence journalists not to want to or be able to avoid “envelopes” and other forms of bribery, so in the end they would be to act more independently.

Based upon a survey by AJI Malang, a reasonable wage for journalists in Malang would be as much as 2.4 million rupiah a month.

[Translated by James Balowski.]