Tempo: Indonesian unions gather thousands to protest rising fuel prices

BANGKOK, September 6 – RIA Novosti. The Indonesian Confederation of Trade Unions (CPI) and the Indonesian Workers’ Party took to the streets in major cities across the country on Tuesday, with thousands of workers demanding that President Joko Widodo’s government reverse the government-sponsored decision to raise fuel prices. informs Indonesian news portal Tempo.

The Indonesian government previously decided to raise the price threshold for the cheapest and most popular 90-octane gasoline, the price of which is subsidized by the government, by 30% in 2022 due to overspending on fuel subsidies.

According to the newspaper’s report, more than 1,500 people attended the protest in Jakarta alone. With red scarves and red and white banners on their heads, demonstrators marched through the city streets to the building complex of the Indonesian Council of People’s Representatives (the permanent chamber of the country’s parliament) and held a rally for hours. gate.

“In November or December, workers will go on a nationwide strike. A nationwide strike would mean a complete shutdown of production across the country,” the protest leader said.

“I’m sure President Joko Widodo will hear our voices!” said Iqbal.

Kompas news portal published a video report from the protest rally held at the gates of the Indonesian People’s Representative Council building complex. Arriving at the gate, the protesters hung a large banner with protest slogans and set up a temporary podium at the gate; on this podium, the speakers stood with their backs to the door and addressed the protesting crowd.

Slogans, songs and dances were chanted during the rally, including the unity of the proletariat in the struggle against capitalist exploitation.

Iqbal told Tempo that demonstrations by workers, students and anyone wishing to join the movement were held in Indonesia’s 20 largest cities, including several provincial centers, on Tuesday, and protests were held in front of provincial governments and provincial governorates.

The Indonesian Confederation of Trade Unions, which was established in 2003 by the merger of various union associations and groups, is now one of the centers of the national trade union movement in the country. KPI cooperates with the International Trade Union Confederation.

The Indonesian Workers Party was founded in 2021 on the basis of a pre-existing but defunct party of the same name, which was “reformed” from the centre-left to a social democratic party fighting for workers’ rights. In addition to the “old” and “new” Labor Party activists, 10 different Indonesian labor unions participated in the founding of the party.