M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), in a press statement on Monday in commemoration of May Day or International Labor Day, urged labor unions and workers in general to unite and strengthen their consolidation to demand their rights to be met.

Komnas HAM commissioner Anis Hidayah said the tight-knit labor movement is dearly needed amidst the Job Creation Law which potentially threatens to make workers' rights insignificant.

"We encourage workers and their unions to remain solid in fighting for labor rights, especially after we have the Job Creation Law which is increasingly threatening and has more potential to bring up forms of human rights violations against workers," said Anis on May 1.

Anis assessed that workers are still a marginalized vulnerable group that is vulnerable to various forms of human rights violations. Anis elaborated a number of labor rights that have not been fulfilled which includes fulfillment of decent wages, certainty of work contract status, guarantees of welfare, the right to a decent life, and access to justice.

The former executive director of Migrant Care also asserted that female workers are the worst affected as this demographic continues to be victims of physical violence and sexual abuse, apart from basic rights for female workers that have not been fulfilled by the government's laws.

"Many [women] have lost their jobs after taking maternity leave," Anis asserted.

In the May Day commemoration, Komnas HAM also encourages companies to think more about the welfare of their workers by implementing business and human rights responsibilities, which is the principle of balancing business interests with the interests of fulfilling human rights for the community and individual workers.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1720520/komnas-ham-calls-for-unity-among-workers-amid-may-da