Jakarta – Protesters from a number of labour union federations affiliated with the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) complained about mass layoffs (PHK) during an audience with the House of Representatives' (DPR) Public Aspirations Agency (BAM) in Jakarta on Thursday November 6.
The audience was held at the same time as a protest action by the trade unions at the parliamentary complex.
"Today, many workers are being unilaterally laid off, either en masse, because the company is making losses due to bankruptcy or for other reasons", said KASBI Chairperson Sunarno during the audience with members of the DPR.
Sunarno said he hopes the DPR will continue to visit workers' bases affected by layoffs. Besides providing motivation, he wants the DPR to resolve the issue.
"How can we put pressure on both local governments and companies to stop the process of layoffs which we call unilateral layoffs", he said.
Sunarno explained that they have sent a letter to the DPR's Commission IX, its partner in the employment sector, requesting a hearing. He said however that the request went unanswered.
Furthermore, Sunarno said that they have also prepared a drafting team to participate in deliberations on the Draft Labour Law (RUU Ketenagakerjaan). He doesn't want the bill to suffer from minimal participation, as was the case with the previous Omnibus Law on Job Creation discussions.
"KASBI has also formed a drafting team to draft the Labour Bill and of course we don't want to waste this opportunity, as we can learn from the development of the Job Creation Law", he said.
After the audience, BAM Chairperson Ahmad Heryawan (Aher) and several other members met with the workers in front of the DPR building.
Heryawan climbed up onto the workers' command vehicle and spoke to the crowd. He claimed to have heard the workers' concerns, one of which related to labour regulations. Heryawan said that there must be changes to the law governing employment.
"Of course, we from the Public Aspiration Agency, representing the leadership of the DPR, representing the Indonesian public, basically agree in principle that there should be immediate changes to the labour law", said Heryawan.
He said that before there was the Job Creation Law, there was Law Number 13/2003 on Labour. According to Heryawan although the law was widely criticised, it was better than the Job Creation Law.
"Therefore, the hope at a minimum is that the changes to the labour law in the future will at a minimum be similar to Law 13/2003, correct?", said Heryawan.
During the action, workers took up 10 main demands, namely that the government pass a pro-labour labour law, implement a decent national wage and increase wages in 2026 by at least 15 percent, abolish contract labour systems, outsourcing, exploitative internships and fake motorcycle taxi driver-employer partnerships.
Then, protect of female workers and the immediate ratification of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190, and the provision of affordable, high-quality day care as well as lactation rooms. They also demanded the government guarantee the rights of workers in plantations, agriculture, mining, education and healthcare.
"Seven, protect migrant workers and fishery workers and ratify ILO Convention 188. Lower the price of basic necessities, fuel, electricity and toll road fees. Stop the repression and criminalisation of the people's movements, release all the detained protesters [from the August mass protests]. Stop wars, economic blockades and genocide. Support Palestinian independence", said Sunarno.
Earlier, the KASBI protesters brought an effigy of a huge octopus to the demonstration in front of the DPR building on Thursday, which Sunarno said was a symbol of the increasingly widespread corruption cases in Indonesia.
"Corrupt officials and elites are becoming more and more widespread, not less", said Sunarno in a speech in front of the gates to the DPR on Jalan Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta.
In addition to taking turns delivering speeches and conveying their demands, KASBI workers from Subang performed a traditional West Java Jaipong dance.
As many as 1,464 joint security personnel were deployed to secure the workers' demonstration at the DPR today.
"There are 1,464 personnel serving the demonstration at the DPR", Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Susatyo Purnomo Condro told reporters.
Condro added that thousands of personnel were stationed at several strategic points around the DPR building to ensure that the demonstration proceeded safely and orderly. (thr/kid)
[Abridged translation by James Balowski based on three articles by CNN Indonesia on November 6. The original title of the lead article was "Massa Buruh Keluhkan PHK Massal Saat Ditemui Badan Aspirasi DPR".]