200,000 Workers to Rally at Monas for May Day Today
Workers will throng the celebration of International Labour Day (May Day) 2026 at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta today. An estimated 200,000 participants are expected to fill the Monas area.
“The number of KSPI (Indonesian Workers’ Confederation) members is 50,000, while the total number of participants is 200,000,” said KSPI President and Labour Party President Said Iqbal to reporters on Friday (1/5/2026).
Said stated that after a meeting lasting approximately 1.5 hours with President Prabowo Subianto, KSPI decided to hold the May Day celebration at Monas together with other labour unions.
“After discussing May Day and Indonesia’s future directly with President Prabowo Subianto, we decided to celebrate May Day at Monas with the President and other labour union elements,” Said remarked.
Said Iqbal emphasised that prior to 1 May, KSPI had requested a meeting with Prabowo, which was granted. The meeting took place on 28 April 2026 to convey 11 labour issues or aspirations.
According to Said Iqbal, KSPI views May Day not merely as a ceremonial event. Worldwide, including in Indonesia, May Day is a moment to directly convey workers’ aspirations and demands to policymakers.
Furthermore, among the 11 issues brought by KSPI, several crucial ones have been addressed and affirmed by Prabowo as follow-ups to workers’ aspirations.
“May Day is not just a ceremony. It is a moment to convey workers’ hopes and demands. And from the 11 issues we presented, several received direct responses and affirmations from the President,” he stressed.
Not only in Jakarta, KSPI, supported by the Labour Party, will also celebrate May Day simultaneously in major cities across 38 provinces, covering more than 350 cities. Some key activity centres include Bandung (West Java), Serang (Banten), Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java), Banda Aceh (Aceh), Batam (Riau Islands), Palembang (South Sumatra), Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Gorontalo, Morowali, and various other cities.
11 Demands and Calls for Peaceful Action
Said Iqbal also urged all KSPI members and Labour Party sympathisers to join the May Day celebration with joy and a fighting spirit, while maintaining order.
“We call on all workers to celebrate May Day with full spirit, peacefully, anti-violence, and non-anarchic. Also respect the interests of other communities,” he said.
In the 2026 May Day momentum, KSPI will present 11 main issues, namely: ratification of the Employment Bill; HOSTUM (Abolish Outsourcing Reject Low Wages); threats of layoffs due to war; tax reform including an increase in PTKP and abolition of taxes on THR, JHT, and pensions.
Then ratification of the Asset Seizure Bill; saving the textile and textile products (TPT) industry as well as the nickel industry; moratorium on the cement industry due to oversupply; ratification of ILO Convention 90; struggle for 10% ride-hailing tariffs; revision of Law No. 2 of 2024; and appointment of part-time PPPK honorary teachers and staff to full-time positions.
In that meeting, Prabowo conveyed his view that Indonesia is a country rich in natural resources, yet not fully optimally utilised. He invited workers to jointly build Indonesia as a shared possession.
Prabowo, according to Said Iqbal, wants workers to live prosperously with decent wages. Utilisation of natural resources through downstreaming is seen as one key to improving that welfare.
Furthermore, he said, the president also requested support from all Indonesian people, especially workers, to realise those ideals.
Regarding ride-hailing workers (ojol) issues, Said mentioned that the government through Danantara is also encouraged to participate in app ownership, so it can control fare cut policies. With that scheme, the government is believed to be able to push for a reduction in fare cuts to 10 percent.
“The state must be present. For ojol, the government through Danantara is encouraged to join in app ownership so that the 10 percent fare cut can be realised,” he stated.