Happy Labor's Day a.k.a May Day

An estimate of 60,000 labors representing 67 Labor Unions in Jakarta and vicinity gathered peacefully today to celebrate the Labors Day a.k.a May Day held at the HI Roundabout in downtown Jakarta

According to Kompas, they started to gather at 6 am and planned to walk to the State Palace, the official residence of President SBY, at midday.

The Labors carried posters and banners mentioning their demands to the government, among others the issuance of the Social Security Organizing Agency Law, realization of President SBY's promise during May Day last year i.e. to pay more attention on the faith of the Labors.

They demand that all Labors, including those under Outsourcing and Contractual statuses, must be protected.
 
Meanwhile, the President visited two factories in Bogor, West Java, accompanied by the Minister of Man Power Muhaimin Iskandar.

The Minister said that there are three goals that his Ministry wished to achieve this year. First,to increase the Man Power Social Security (Jamsostek), second, to strictly limit, or if possible to stop Outsourcing, and third not to limit or ban labor union.

I am very happy that the commemoration of the Labor's Day a.k.a May Day in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia went quite peacefully. I hope that the government would do its very best to keep its promised to the Labors i.e. provide better working conditions for all labors working in Indonesia and in foreign countries.

I also hope that the government would do its very best to provide more working opportunities for our Labor force a.o. by creating an attractive environment for local and foreign to invest their money and create businesses in Indonesia.

Airport's Full-Body Scanner

Since they were introduced several years ago, many people have protested the use of Full-Body Scanners at airports around the world, claiming that they invade privacy and may violate the Pornography Law. 

Apparently, Kompas reported (below) that such scanner has caused a fight among two airport security officers in the United States.  

I wonder whether such incident ever happened at the airports in Indonesia.

Penis Jokes Lead to Airport Security Assault

Jumat, 7 Mei 2010 | 09:19 WIB

KOMPAS.com - A US airport security screener allegedly beat up his colleague for poking fun at the size of his penis during testing of full-body image scanners.

Rolando Negrin was arrested after attacking a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker at the parking lot of Miami International Airport, The Miami Herald reported yesterday. 
                                    
Negrin had been the butt of his colleagues' jokes for a year after the security scanners - which are used to detect foreign objects hidden under a person's clothes, but also show a person's private parts - revealed he had a small penis.

The frustrated screener told police "co-workers made fun of him on a daily basis and ... he could not take the jokes any more and lost his mind".

Negrin waited for his colleague at the parking lot on Tuesday after work, saying he wanted to talk about "respect", the Miami New Times reported.

When the colleague refused to let him into his car, Negrin allegedly whipped out a baton and started hitting him on his arms and back.

The alleged victim was forced to kneel and say "I'm sorry" to Negrin, before getting into his car and speeding off, the Times reported.

Negrin was arrested the following day.

A TSA spokesman said in a statement his organisation had "a zero tolerance policy for workplace violence" and were "investigating to determine whether training procedures were violated".

Testing of full-body scanners already take place in 19 US airports, included Miami International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, CNN reported.

The scanners have caused controversy around the world since they came into use, with claims they invade privacy and may breach child pornography laws.

Full body scanners have been trialled at airports around Australia and the Federal Government announced in February they would be put into regular use in the next four years as part of a $200 million airport security shake-up.