For Indonesia’s workers and unions, 2014 could be a milestone as the government declared May 1 a national holiday. But not all labourers took the day off.
Updated: May 04, 2014, 12:00 AM
In pictures: No rest on Labour Day for Indonesia’s pan polishers
A worker collects pans that has been dried after polishing process at Putra Logam workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
Tarno, a worker at Putra Logam workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is paid around 40,000 rupees a day or equivalent to $3.46 for polishing pans. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
A workshop labourer polishes a pan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 1. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
Tarno shows his hand covered by metal from polishing pans at a workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
A workshop labourer polishes a pan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 1. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day and demand for higher wages and better working conditons. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
Sarono, who pans at a Putra Logam workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is paid around 40,000 rupees a day, or about $3.46. Protesters across Indonesia have organised rallies to demand higher wages, as Indonesia recognises its first national labour day holiday. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
Workers polish pans in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 1. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day and to demand for higher wages and better working conditons. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
A pan polisher covers his face as he takes a rest at the Putra Logam factory in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
A workshop labourer polishes a pan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 1. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images
Workers polish pans in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 1. Up to 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to celebrate the country's first ever Labour Day and to demand for higher wages and better working conditons. Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images