Some 12,000 West Java Workers Mark May Day in Jakarta

Bandung, W Java, May 1 (Antara) - Some 12 thousand West Java workers have left for Jakarta to commemorate the International Labor Day or May Day on Sunday. Some of the workers grouped in the Federation of Metal, Electronic and Machine Workers Union (FSPLEM) had arrived in Jakarta while the others were on their way to the capital, chief of the federation of the West Java chapter M Sidarta said. The number of workers commemorating the labor day in the capital would increase to 25 thousand if they were combined with those from Jakarta and Banten provinces, he said. The West Java workers mostly hailed from Bandung, Bekasi, Depok and Bogor Municipalities and Bekasi, Karawang and Purwakarta districts, he said. During the commemoration of the labor day, they would convey a number of demands, including urging President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to fulfill his pledge to create decent work, decent wages and decent living standard for workers, he said. In Jakarta, about 17,000 security officers from the military, the police and the Jakarta transportation agency would be deployed to secure the commemoration of the labor day. They would be stationed in crucial places in the capital including streets near the State Palace, the National Monument (Monas), the Bung Karno Sports Stadium and the House of Representatives, Kompas.com quoted Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Nanang Jumantara as saying on Friday.