Indonesian workers are calling for higher wages to improve the quality of their lives as worries mount over a slowing economy and competition from neighboring ASEAN countries.
There are almost 110.8 million workers in Indonesia, according to the National Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data from August 2013, but almost half of are low-skilled laborers.
According to the same figures, 46.93 percent have graduated from elementary school, 18.5 percent have graduated from junior highschool, and 6.83 percent of them have university degrees.
And with the regional minimum wage in Jakarta being set at IDR 3,100,000 (US$ 238) per month, workers are having a difficult time to make a comfortable living.
“Working abroad I can say, the salary would be better than in Indonesia but I’m Indonesian so maybe I choose to be in Indonesia because it’s more comfortable for me,” said Dwi Sugiantoro who had experience working abroad.
“Yes I hope it would be much better if they increase our salaries, all will be better,” said Ratmi, a factory worker.
The country’s trade union confederations believe the government should get involved and make sure its workforce is taken care of.
“Indonesian workers should get a decent portion, the government should be able to raise the degree of labor and most importantly the health and education for them and their children, and I hope there will be no criminalization actions when workers fight for their rights, it’s happening in some areas,” said the President of Indonesia’s Trade Union Confederations, Andi Gani Nenawea.
Other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries such as Singapore have 49.9 percent of their 3.22 million workforce holding university degrees, according to 2012 World Bank figures.
“I already asked President (Joko Widodo) to approve jobs that can be held by foreign workers in specific areas in which Indonesians cannot work. But if workers from Myanmar, Thailand and Philippines can be public transport drivers for example it will cause problems for sure. We hope that AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) can urge the growth of competitive fairness which we would support,” said Andi Gani Nenawea, President of Indonesia Trade Union Confederations.
The unemployment rate in Southeast Asia’s largest economy stood at 5.81 percent in February 2015, according to official statistics, but analysts say that doesn’t cover the informal sector and the real figure could be much higher.