On 14 April 2015, a union headquarters in East Jakarta was shot at while a group of labour union leaders were meeting inside. Nobody was injured. The incidenc occurred at about 10:45 p.m. However, several cars parked in front of the office were damaged by the gunfire.
Mudhofir Khamid, president of the Indonesian Confederation of Prosperous Labor Unions (KSBSI), has indicated that the union is pressing police to investigate the incident and arrest the perpetrators.
Mudhofir said he believed the shooting was an act of terror designed to intimidate workers ahead of Labor Day demonstrations on May 1.
“The sound of gunshots took us all by complete surprise. At first, we thought it was some passerby throwing firecrackers,” said Mudhofir.
Jumhur Hidayat, chair of the Federation of Indonesian Maritime Workers (FSPMI), condemned the attack, and agreed it may have been related to the planned upcoming May Day demonstrations.
“This is terror against the workers and the shootings remind us of New Order-era repression,” Jumhur said. “But the labor movement will not be cowed by such a cowardly act.”