Indosiar Employees Rally Demanding a Pay Rise

Around 200 employees of Indosiar, a private television station in Indonesia, were staging a rally in front of their office building on Jalan Daan Mogot in West Jakarta on Monday demanding better salaries and facilities.

The staff alleged that many employees had not received a pay raise in six years.

The demonstrators wore black Indosiar uniforms and red headbands. They carried posters with slogans on them such as “six years with no pay raise” and “don’t fool us.”

The head of Indosiar’s employee union, Dicky Irawan, alleged in his oration that Indosiar had not obeyed the Labor Law.

“There are many Indosiar employees who have worked here for five years but their basic (monthly) salary is under Rp 350,000 ($38). Overtime pay on holiday is only Rp 40,000 ($ 4.38). It is against the Labor Law,” Dicky said.

Yanri Syawal, a rally leader, told the press that the rally was purposefully conducted on the station’s 15th anniversary.

“We want the company to pay attention to how small our basic salary is. We also hope the management will be transparent about employees’ welfare. There are many new employees who have ties with the management and their salaries are above the old employees,” Yanri said.

Yanri added that it was the first rally the employees had ever staged.

“This is the first and we hope this will be the last, if the management decides to give in to our demands. Otherwise, we will hold a strike as regulated by the Labor Law,” he said.

The demonstrators will travel to Wisma Indocement on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman where the Indosiar management office is located.

Indosiar was launched in 1994 by Salim Group. PT Indosiar Karya Media Tbk is listed on the Indonesian Stock Market.

The station reached its peak in popularity with a reality singing contest, Akademi Fantasi Indosiar or AFI, between 2000 to 2006.

Indosiar took AFI off the screen in 2006 and replaced it with other reality talent contests titled Mamamia and Super Mama. In 2009, the station gained more popularity through a reality dating show, Take Me Out Indonesia.