Draft Submitted to DPR, Said Iqbal Urges Acceleration of New Manpower Bill Deliberation

The Labour Coalition together with the Labour Party (KSP-PB) is urging the government and the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) to immediately accelerate the deliberation of a new Manpower Bill, so that it can be completed before the deadline in October 2026. President of the Labour Party and Special Adviser to the President on Manpower and Labour Welfare, Said Iqbal, stated that the formation of this new law is a mandate from Constitutional Court Decision Number 168/PUU-XXI/2023, which instructs the government and DPR to draft new regulations in the field of employment. ‘We ask the government and DPR RI to immediately discuss openly, hold public hearings, absorb aspirations, and disseminate the drafts related to the Manpower Bill,’ Said Iqbal said during a KSP-PB press conference in Jakarta on Monday, 6 July 2026. He stressed that the Constitutional Court has ordered the formation of a new manpower law, not a revision of the existing law, by October 2026 at the latest. According to him, KSP-PB has submitted a draft concept of the Manpower Bill to the DPR and the government as input for the regulatory discussion. He said the proposal includes expanding the definition of workers, so it is not limited to manufacturing labourers but also includes workers in other sectors that have evolved with changes in the world of work and economic digitalisation. ‘We want to broaden the basis of the definition of workers or labourers. So not just manufacturing workers, but also digital platform workers, media workers, creative workers, campus workers, medical workers, and other sectors,’ he stated. Said added that his party hopes the deliberation of the Manpower Bill will be conducted openly, involving all stakeholders, including labour organisations, so that the resulting regulation can provide legal certainty while strengthening protection for workers across various sectors. ‘We are confident that President Prabowo Subianto and the DPR leadership will side with the labour struggle proposals in the formation of this new Manpower Law,’ he said. On the same occasion, Acting Secretary General of the Labour Party and KSP-PB representative, Said Salahudin, said that KSP-PB had prepared a draft concept of approximately 250 pages, which was submitted to the DPR and the government on 30 September 2025. He explained that the concept contains 59 issues for improvement of existing provisions, as well as 17 new issues considered not yet regulated in Law Number 13 of 2003 on Manpower or Law Number 6 of 2023 on Job Creation.