Pertamina employees stage demonstration

Some 800 contract-based employees of the state oil and gas firm Pertamina Sungaipakning unit in Dumai, Riau Province, staged on Wednesday a demonstration demanding a higher salary, the Riau Post daily reported.

The demonstrators demanded Pertamina to raise the salary at least to equal to the level of the minimum regional wage.

The paper said that the employees have so far received some Rp 271,000 per month, and Pertamina had planned to increase the salary to Rp 312,613.

But the employees rejected this, pointing out that the local minimum regional wage was already at Rp 396,675 per month.

Pertamina Sungaipakning unit finally surrender to the pressure to increase the salary. During a limited meeting between Pertamina and representatives of the protesting employees, the company agreed to increase the salary to Rp 360,000 per month. (*)