Baleg DPR to Invite Ministry of Manpower to Discuss Dispute-Resolution Rules for Domestic Workers

Jakarta – The Legislative Body (Baleg) of the Indonesian Parliament plans to invite the Ministry of Manpower to discuss the mechanism for resolving disputes within the Draft Law on Domestic Worker Protection (RUU PPRT). Chairman of Baleg, Bob Hasan of the Gerindra Party, said the discussion is needed to strengthen the enforcement of law in the employment relationship between domestic workers and employers. ‘We still have one contention in dispute resolution. We are inviting from the Ministry of Manpower to build enforcement of law in the context of how disputes are resolved through mediation,’ he said after a public hearing (RDPU) on the RUU PPRT at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday 5 March 2026. The mediation mechanism is among the options being considered in the discussion of the RUU PPRT. Bob Hasan noted government involvement is necessary because the domestic work relationship occurs in private settings, which the state has difficulty supervising directly. ‘Mediation — whether the institution will settle it in every province — but there are agencies, in this case the ministry, that will attend and be responsible for the implementation of performance between domestic workers and employers,’ he explained. He also said Baleg DPR would continue holding hearings with various stakeholders to gather public input on the drafting of the RUU PPRT. ‘We do not stop consulting and we always apply meaningful public participation in the making of every law,’ Bob added. Background: The RUU PPRT has been proposed since 2004 and is deemed urgent as a legal framework to protect workers in the domestic sector. The private nature of domestic work limits government oversight, making abuses such as discrimination, exploitation, and even violence a risk. Since 2004, the RUU PPRT has consistently appeared in the national legislative program for each DPR session but has yet to be enacted by the end of the 2019-2024 DPR term. President Prabowo Subianto earlier pledged to push for its passage. On International Labour Day in Monas Square, Jakarta, on 1 May 2025, Prabowo said discussions on the RUU PPRT would begin soon in the DPR. More recently, Deputy Speaker of the DPR Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said the DPR would resume RDPUs or public hearings related to the RUU PPRT. ‘Yes, as of the 5th, we will start public hearings for PPRT and after Lebaran, including with the Labour Law, we will hold public hearings because these issues are sensitive and must be agreed by all parties, so we will hold them regularly,’ Dasco said at the DPR building in Jakarta on Tuesday 3 March 2026. Collaborations with various stakeholders will continue as part of the policy development process.