Indonesia's Director General of Electricity and Energy Utilities, Luluk Sumiarso, wants PLN to break up its transmission, distribution and power plant units into separate entities from late November 2003.

The PLN labour union argues that such a move would burden the public with skyrocketing power rates and that this move would allow the government to sell these new entities to private investors.

Furthermore, the move will allow the government to spin off power plants and retailing operations in Java and Bali from PLN.

In a display of public relations nous not commonly seen in Australia the union apologised in advance for the inconvenience that such a strike would cause to the public before promising that around 48,000 PLN workers throughout the country would lay down their tools and picket.

The Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri will fall on either 25 November or 26 November and usually lasts for a week.