Indonesia: Workers protest against govt's emergency regulation on job law

Thousands of workers in Indonesia held a protest in the capital city of Jakarta on Saturday (January 14), urging Parliament to reject an emergency Presidential order issued last month to replace the controversial Jobs Creation Law. Protesters held a banner which said, "Say no to outsourcing," while some other banners read "Refuse job creation emergency decree because there is no emergency situation," a report by news agency Reuters said.

Damar Panca Mulia, 38, one of the protesters, told Reuters the decree was a ploy by the government to ensure the implementation of the job law. "This regulation degrades worker's welfare, reduces labour protections and causes widespread damage - on agrarian issues, the environment, protection of women," Mulia said, adding that job creation should be in line with workers' welfare improvement, but this decree was a counter to it.

ALSO READ |Indonesia issues emergency regulation to replace controversial job law; legal experts criticise move

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Another protester told the news agency on Saturday that the regulation created uncertainty for workers as they could be easily fired and would also get a lower severance.

The Jobs Creation Law was passed in 2020, revising over 70 other laws and it was welcomed by foreign investors for cutting red tape. However, the law also lead to nationwide protests from workers, students and green groups who said it eroded labour and environmental protections, Reuters earlier reported. In 2021, the constitutional court ruled that the passage of the law was flawed because of inadequate public consultation.

On December 30 last year, the Indonesian government issued an emergency regulation to replace the law with President Joko Widodo saying, "We know it looks like we're normal now, but global uncertainty, the risk is haunting us ... Actually the world is not doing fine."

Legal experts criticised the emergency regulation by saying it was an attempt by the government to bypass proper debate in Parliament. On other hand, Labour party chairman Said Iqbal said outsourcing and minimum wage regulation in the decree were among the issues of concern. "We don't want the state to become only an agent for dirty entrepreneurs to weaken workers' welfare," Iqbal told reporters on Saturday.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.