The Federation of Independent Media Workers\u2019 Unions (FSPMI) states\nthat employment conditions in the media sector are showing increasingly\nevident vulnerabilities. Media workers face low wages, unilateral\nterminations of employment (PHK), and job uncertainty. Therefore, FSPMI\nis urging media workers to unionise.<\/p>\n
According to FSPMI Chair Aisha Sahidra, media workers are also\nconfronted with risks of violence and criminalisation while carrying out\njournalistic duties. \u201cMedia workers remain in a vulnerable position,\nboth economically and in terms of work protection. This situation\nrequires a stronger collective response,\u201d she said, quoted from a\nwritten statement on Thursday, 30 April 2026.<\/p>\n
In imbalanced employment relations, Aisha said, companies hold\ncontrol over workers\u2019 time, energy, and even safety aspects. This\nsituation leaves workers in a weak position, while demands for\nproductivity, speed, and courage continue to rise without adequate\nprotection and welfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork pressure is increasingly widespread, not only in terms of task\nburden but also in personal life, including physical, psychological, and\nlegal risks that workers must bear themselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Aisha noted, companies demand productivity, speed, and\ncourage without providing equivalent welfare guarantees and protection\nfor journalists and media workers. Exploitation extends from workload to\ncontrol over workers\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorkers are forced to accept unworthy conditions as normal while\nbearing physical risks, psychological pressure, and legal threats\nthemselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Data from the Press Council records at least 1,200 media workers\naffected by PHK throughout 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, the Indonesian\nIndependent Journalists Alliance records more than 800 media workers\nexperiencing PHK from 2024 to mid-2025. These figures are estimated to\nbe higher because not all companies report their employment conditions\nopenly.<\/p>\n
Aisha assesses that these various issues not only impact workers but\nalso threaten press freedom and the public\u2019s right to information.\nTherefore, ahead of the 2026 International Labour Day commemoration,\nFSPMI is urging media workers to strengthen their position through\nunions as a form of collective resistance.<\/p>\n
Currently, based on FSPMI records, out of nearly 2,000 media\ncompanies in Indonesia, fewer than 50 have workers\u2019 unions. Efforts to\nform them often face obstacles, including union-busting practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay Day 2026 is a momentum to strengthen media workers\u2019 solidarity,\nexpand union membership, and push for more just and sustainable\nemployment policies,\u201d said Aisha.<\/p>\n
On that occasion, FSPMI voices several main demands, including labour\nlaw protection that favours workers, the elimination of detrimental work\nsystems like outsourcing, the halt of mass PHK, guarantees of decent\nwages, and protection of the right to unionise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese demands are basic rights, and the state is obliged to\nguarantee them to maintain a system that upholds social justice. Media\nworkers, as part of the working class, have the same interests in\nfighting for fair, safe, and humane working conditions,\u201d said Aisha.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/federation-urges-media-workers-to-unionise-1777539224", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }