By: Zakaria) *
May 1 is a sacred day for workers, because it is celebrated as labor day aka may day . On that date, they took to the streets and demonstrated, generally to demand an increase in wages. However, during a pandemic, demonstrations like this are strictly prohibited, because they can cause a new corona cluster.
The workers who have joined the KSPI organization and its partners are about to hold a demonstration on May 1, 2 021. They celebrate labor day as well as protest against the Job Creation Law. The chairman of the KSPI, Said Iqbal, stated that large-scale demonstrations would be held throughout Indonesia and carried out by at least 50,000 workers.
This demonstration should not have been carried out , because it was useless. Do the workers insist on demonstrating and demanding that the Job Creation Law be annulled? They do not reflect on the incident a few months ago, when there was a demonstration of the Work Creation Law in volumes, but the government was still steadfast in its establishment .
After all, the labor day demonstrations during the pandemic are very dangerous, because they can transmit the corona. Especially during a demonstration someone will definitely take off their masks because of their anger. What if they demonstrate and then go home and rush to the hospital because they are infected with the covid-19 virus? Then when the room is full because the patient is overcrowded, can they guarantee that they will recover quickly when they have to isolate themselves?
Yes, if the workers have a BPJS card. What if not? The cost of treating corona patients is not small, it can be tens or even hundreds of millions of rupiah, depending on the level of severity. Just because of the demonstration for several hours, workers can be at risk of contracting the corona and being exposed for at least 14 days in the hospital. How out of balance with the physical and mental sacrifices at a demonstration.
Don’t forget that the corona is getting crazy. Although the trend is down at the national level. however, according to data from the DKI Jakarta regional government, there are office clusters that have doubled in size. What if the OTG participates in a demonstration and then passes it on to other protesters? They are also guilty of deliberately making other people seriously ill.
Moreover, currently there is a corona virus mutation that is 2 times more virulent. When protesters contract the mutated corona virus originating from India, whether due to contact with Indian citizens or with OTG, they will tire more quickly, have diarrhea, even their hands and feet turn blue. If it is too late to treat it, because this mutated virus is not detected by the PCR test, then it might lose its life .
What are the benefits of demonstrations during a pandemic? Just a waste of time, effort and money. They have to leave or leave work when demonstrating, if not allowed by the company to celebrate May Day . This means you can lose a day’s wages, if you are still given a daily salary because you are still a contract employee. When you do a demonstration and you don’t have money with you, then have you forgotten your responsibilities as the head of the family?
Think about the fate of your children and wife at home, rather than getting carried away by the euphoria of the labor day demonstrations. If they contracted the corona because they were infected after the demo, how could they? They are innocent but suffer the consequences. Moreover, small children are more at risk of being infected with the covid-19 virus, and they also have not been injected with a vaccine because there is nothing for toddlers.
Just stop planning for the Labor Day demonstration right now, because it’s still a pandemic. Remember that a pandemic means a time of quiet concern. Don’t even start a flaming fire to sue for the Job Creation Law, then go home and bring a terrible ‘souvenir’ called the cov id-19 virus .
) * The author is a citizen living in Bogor
