At least a dozen workers of PT Uni Raya Timber (URT) in Sorong Regency were abruptly suspended from work without notice or compensation. The Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Pos Sorong understands this practice as unilateral termination of employment in violation of Indonesian labour law.
The workers, whose employment contracts were still valid until 20 December 2025, were ordered to stop working on 8 July 2025 under the pretext of "temporary leave". Despite repeated demands, the company has failed to provide an official explanation or to pay wages and severance as required by law.
On 8 July 2025, PT Uni Raya Timber suspended several of its employees without issuing a formal termination letter or providing clear justification for the action. The workers, feeling abandoned and deprived of their livelihood, sought legal assistance from LBH Papua Pos Sorong. On 11 August 2025, LBH Papua sent an official letter requesting bipartite negotiations with the company. When the workers and their legal counsel visited the company's office in the Sakamirim Village, Moi Segen District, on 18 August 2025, they were met not by management representatives but by administrative staff, electrical technicians, security guards, and Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel who lacked authority to discuss the dispute. The workers' request for a copy of their Fixed-Term Employment Contract (PKWT) was initially denied, and only after two hours of waiting were they provided with a copy, not the original.
On 21 August 2025, LBH Papua Pos Sorong and worker representatives lodged a formal complaint with the Sorong Regency Manpower and Transmigration Office. The head of the agency, Mr Marthen Nebore, advised the workers to submit an official written report so that the dispute could proceed through the tripartite negotiation process involving the government, workers, and company management. The agency reaffirmed that workers' rights must be protected under existing labour laws.
LBH Papua Pos Sorong has called on PT Uni Raya Timber to immediately fulfil its legal obligations by paying the full amount of compensation and damages owed to the affected workers. The organisation also urged the Manpower and Transmigration Office of Sorong Regency to ensure impartial mediation and to sanction the company should it fail to comply with labour regulations. Furthermore, LBH Papua appealed to the Provincial Government of Southwest Papua and national labour authorities to increase oversight of companies operating in the forestry and timber sectors, which have repeatedly been linked to cases of labour rights violations.
Legal and human rights analysis
LBH Papua Pos Sorong has denounced PT URT's "temporary leave" scheme as a deliberate attempt to evade the legal consequences of early termination. The company offered workers a meagre compensation of IDR 912,000 (approximately Euro 50) on condition that they sign a "temporary off" agreement that would effectively nullify their right to further compensation. According to LBH Papua, this constitutes a de facto termination of employment disguised as suspension.
Such conduct contravenes Article 62 of Law No. 13/2003 on Manpower and Article 15 of Government Regulation No. 35/2021, both of which require employers who prematurely end fixed-term employment contracts to pay full compensation equivalent to the worker's remaining wages until the contract expires. LBH Papua argues that PT URT's actions amount to a serious breach of national labour law and violate international labour standards enshrined in ILO Convention No. 158 on Termination of Employment, which Indonesia has ratified.
From a human rights perspective, the arbitrary suspension of workers without due process or payment constitutes a violation of the right to fair and just working conditions under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Indonesia is a State Party. The case reflects systemic weaknesses in labour law enforcement in Indonesia, where workers often face exploitative practices and lack access to effective remedies.