Ratih P Sudarsono, Bogor – Around 400 workers in the city of Bogor commemorated May Day by spending Saturday afternoon enjoying popular dangdut music at the Bogor Botanical Gardens.

Before this however they held a parade at the city hall where they issued a statement rejecting Law Number 13/2003 on Labour, which was presented to Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto and other officials from the Bogor Regional Consultative Council (Muspida).

In the statement the workers outlined how the labour law impacted badly on the lives of workers and their families and called on the Bogor government and the Bogor Regional House of Representatives to reject the law, particularly the articles related to outsourcing and contract labour. Budiarto responded by promising to convey their wishes to the central government.

The workers were members of the National Workers Union (SPN) from the companies PT Unitex, Muara Krakatau, PT Coats Indonesia, PT Sahabat Unggul, PT Citra Abadi Sejati and PT Akur Pratama. Also joining the action were workers from the Good Year Indonesia Trade Union (SPGYI), the Good Year Indonesia Indonesia Workers Union (PBIGYI) and the Olympic Trade Union (SPO).

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]