Rofiqi Hasan, Denpasar – Scores of workers and non-government organisation (NGO) activists commemorated May Day with a protest action at the Badjra Sandhi Monument in the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar on Saturday May 1.

The protesters, calling themselves the Solidarity Challenge Alliance (SBM), brought banners and posters with demands rejecting mass dismissals and outsourcing. They also demanded social welfare and that employers side with workers. “Up until now there has been no real commitment from employers to protect workers”, said action coordinator Saiful.

Saiful said that based on official Department of Labor data for 2009, 100,000 were laid off and that this year is expected to be even more savage after the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) agreement came into effect, which will flood domestic markets with cheap Chinese products and threaten small- and medium-scale enterprises that are unable to complete.

He added that many workers are still not paid the minimum wage and that wages are further cut by deductions for insurance, the workers insurance scheme (Jamsostek) and pension funds. “The Draft law on Jamsostek will also rob workers of their wages,” asserted Saiful.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]