Kartika Sari, Medan – Hundreds of workers in Medan held a peaceful action commemorating International Labour Day or May Day at the North Sumatra (Sumut) governor's office. During the action, they conveyed a number of demands, one of which was abolishing outsourcing.
Based on Detik Sumut's monitoring on Thursday May 1, the workers were seen carrying several banners with their demands, one of which read "Eliminate outsourcing, pass the domestic workers bill, anticipate mass layoffs and form a layoff task force".
North Sumatra Labour Party Chairperson Willy Agus Utomo said that outsourcing systems only benefit recruitment agencies.
"We ask that mass layoffs be stopped and that the government form a layoff task force, not only in Java but in North Sumatra where there are also many layoffs, then we also ask that the labour system of slavery or outsourcing be eliminated because it does not benefit the country, in fact the recruitment agencies are the ones who benefit", said Utomo.
In addition to this, Utomo also mentioned that the Labour Party has requested that the North Sumatra provincial government make a submission to the House of Representatives (DPR) on the ratification of the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT).
They consider that domestic workers without a law create losses both in terms of regulations and wage provisions.
"We ask the DPR to immediately pass the Domestic Workers Law, where currently domestic workers have no wages, are cheap, and have no regulations", he said. (astj/astj)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Aksi May Day di Sumut, Ratusan Buruh Tuntut Pemprovsu Hapus Outsourcing".]
