Many of the demonstrators, dressed in blue union shirts, marched north along one side of Jalan Sudirman, a major artery through Jakarta’s business district, disrupting traffic and prompting police to divert vehicles onto nearby streets.
(Sept 24): More than 1,000 workers rallied peacefully in Jakarta on Thursday, pressing lawmakers to include stronger protections in a new labour law ahead of a court-imposed deadline next month.
The turnout was far below the 50,000 workers organisers had said would take part. Many of the demonstrators, dressed in blue union shirts, marched north along one side of Jalan Sudirman, a major artery through Jakarta’s business district, disrupting traffic and prompting police to divert vehicles onto nearby streets.
The crowd dispersed shortly before 2pm.
The rally comes as lawmakers race to complete a stand-alone labour law by an Oct 31 deadline imposed by the Constitutional Court, with labour groups and employers still divided over issues such as outsourcing, fixed-term contracts and severance rules. The debate carries broad stakes in a country where millions of workers are informally employed, even as the economy continues to grow at more than 5%.
The relatively small, peaceful gathering stood in contrast to demonstrations just over a year ago, when protests over inequality and rising living costs turned into the country’s deadliest unrest in more than a decade.
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