DPR Accelerates Manpower Bill Deliberations During Recess

The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) is accelerating the deliberation of the Draft Manpower Law to ensure it is completed and enacted promptly. Deputy Speaker Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal stated that Commission IX, which oversees manpower affairs, will receive input from various stakeholders regarding the bill during the upcoming recess period. “Commission IX has conveyed the urgency of meeting with several stakeholders. The proposal is to request that discussions be held during the recess if necessary,” Cucun said during a press conference at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday. He noted that this input is required to advance the Manpower Bill to the working committee, the consultative body, and leadership meetings. The Constitutional Court previously ordered lawmakers to immediately create a new manpower law, separating it from Law Number 6 of 2023 on Job Creation. This directive was part of the Court’s ruling on the judicial review of the Job Creation Law, delivered in October 2024. The Court partially granted the petition filed by the Labour Party and several labour confederations. Lawmakers were given a maximum of two years to fulfil this order, meaning the government and DPR must complete the Manpower Bill by 2026. The ruling also stressed that the drafting process must involve the active participation of trade unions and workers. Ahead of International Workers’ Day in 2026, Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad stated that parliament and the government had agreed the Manpower Bill would be passed by the end of the year at the latest. He also invited labour unions to provide input during the drafting process, emphasising that such contributions are crucial to ensure the resulting law is comprehensive. “This is so the law is not futile and does not end up being challenged again in the Constitutional Court,” Dasco said during a meeting with labour unions at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta.