Government urged to consider impact of cigarette packaging standardisation

Chairman of the Federation of Tobacco, Food and Beverage Workers Union of the All-Indonesia Workers’ Union (FSP RTMM-SPSI) Henry Wardhana has urged the government to consider the socio-economic impact on traders regarding cigarette packaging standardisation.

He warned that if health warnings are included on cigarette packaging, as part of the current standardisation, it could lead to layoffs and increase unemployment. Therefore, Henry stated his union opposes the regulation.

“We reject the Draft Ministerial Regulation (RPMK) that does not incorporate input from other sectors, as it has significant socio-economic impacts,” Henry said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He also noted that the tobacco ecosystem provides livelihoods for six million workers. If the current RPMK provisions enforcing packaging standardisation are implemented, he said this would affect those six million workers.

Henry argued that Indonesia’s situation differs from other countries that have strict packaging standardisation.

“Indonesia is a tobacco producer; it should not be equated with Singapore and Thailand, which are said to have implemented strict packaging standardisation,” Heri said.

It is known that the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) previously held a public consultation for the Draft Ministerial Regulation (RPMK) on Health Warnings, a derivative of Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 (PP No. 28/2024). The initiative aims to standardise cigarette packaging.