JAKARTA, Indonesia - Thousands of Indonesian workers have taken to the streets to protest against outsourcing and low wages.
Jakarta police spokesman Col. Rikwanto says more than 8,200 police were deployed to watch over Thursday's protests organized by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions.
He says about 10,000 to 12,000 workers rallied in front of a palace in Jakarta and then marched to the office of the co-ordinating minister for economic affairs and to the ministry of manpower.
They unfurled banners and posters lambasting outsourcing and urging the government to improve wages.
A statement from the confederation called for a six month moratorium on outsourcing, which in Indonesia usually means hiring temporary workers from outside contractors within the country.
An Indonesian court ruled in January that outsourcing is unconstitutional and against workers' rights.
