Jayapura – Presidential Special Adviser for Labor and Workers' Welfare Said Iqbal has raised the unresolved dismissal of thousands of employees of PT Freeport Indonesia with Indonesia's Minister of Manpower, Yassierli. Iqbal, who also serves as president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI), discussed the case during a meeting with the minister at the Ministry of Manpower in Central Jakarta on Thursday (July 9, 2026).
"I informed the minister that we are handling the case of 2,374 PT Freeport employees who have remained in limbo for nearly nine years since they were dismissed. There is still no clarity over whether they were formally terminated or not, or what severance pay they are entitled to," Iqbal said in a video recording provided to Jubi by KSPI's Central Papua chapter on Friday (July 10, 2026).
Iqbal said his priority is to find a solution that is fair to all parties, including the affected workers, the people of Papua, and the company itself.
"We want the company to continue operating, but workers' rights must not be ignored. Next week I will meet with PT Freeport's board of directors at the Office of the Presidential Special Adviser," he said.
The meeting between Iqbal and Yassierli also covered broader labor issues, including outsourced workers and a proposal to eliminate taxes on old-age security benefits (JHT).
Meanwhile, Laurenzus Kadepa, chair of KSPI's Central Papua chapter, said President Prabowo Subianto should intervene directly to help resolve the long-running dispute involving former PT Freeport employees who participated in the workers' strike, commonly known as Moker.
Kadepa said the dispute has remained unresolved since 2017 despite numerous attempts at settlement through bipartite negotiations, mediation, labor inspections, and both litigation and non-litigation processes.
He said representatives of the workers have also held hearings with the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), the Ministry of Manpower, and Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM).
"Despite those efforts, thousands of former workers are still waiting for a comprehensive resolution that provides legal certainty over their employment status and rights," Kadepa said.
He said hopes for a breakthrough have grown after Iqbal formally raised the issue with the Ministry of Manpower.
Iqbal is also scheduled to meet PT Freeport's management to discuss the unresolved employment dispute involving the workers at the company's copper and gold mining operations in Mimika Regency, Central Papua.
Kadepa noted that Iqbal had previously met with Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai on June 24, 2026. During that meeting, Iqbal said he would prepare an assessment and submit recommendations to President Prabowo on resolving the long-running dispute involving the striking workers.
"That meeting marked an important milestone because it opened the possibility of the issue receiving direct attention from the President for the first time," Kadepa said.
However, he stressed that resolving the dispute should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of the central government.
According to Kadepa, the Central Papua provincial government also has a responsibility to ensure effective coordination among relevant institutions so that the settlement process can move forward more efficiently.
He pointed to Government Regulation No. 33/2018, which designates provincial governors as representatives of the central government in their respective regions.
Under the regulation, governors are responsible not only for leading provincial administrations but also for coordinating government affairs, supervising district and municipal governments, monitoring and evaluating public policies, overseeing the implementation of national programs, and facilitating the resolution of strategic cross-sector issues.
Kadepa said those responsibilities are directly relevant to the Freeport labor dispute.
"Now that the central government has opened a path toward resolving the dispute through the Presidential Special Adviser, the Central Papua provincial government is in a strategic position to act as the main link between the central government, district administrations, labor authorities, and other stakeholders," he said.
Kadepa said the current developments provide an opportunity for Central Papua Governor to demonstrate leadership in resolving one of Papua's largest labor disputes.
He argued that as the central government begins to engage more actively through the Presidential Special Adviser, the provincial government should strengthen coordination within the scope of its own authority.
"The Central Papua provincial government has a strategic role in strengthening coordination so that the settlement process becomes more effective and provides certainty for workers as well as all stakeholders," Kadepa said.
He also welcomed the formation of a special committee by the Mimika Regional Legislative Council, saying it reflected growing political commitment at the local level.
With communication channels to the central government now opening, Kadepa said the momentum should not end with meetings and recommendations alone. Instead, he urged the Central Papua provincial government to become an active strategic partner in implementing any future recommendations submitted to President Prabowo.
He said this would ensure that the President's decisions are supported by accurate information from the field, strong inter-agency coordination, and administrative measures that fall within the authority of regional governments.
Source: https://en.jubi.id/freeport-workers-layoff-dispute-brought-before-labor-minister