House of Representatives Approves Labour Protection Bill as Solution to Workers' Aspirations

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR RI) officially approved the Draft Law on Labour Protection to become Law this Tuesday, successfully meeting the target for completion by October 2026 as a solution to long-standing aspirations expressed by workers.

The Bill was approved one day after the Deputy Speaker of the DPR RI, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, led the Level I decision-making process alongside Commission IX of the DPR RI and the government. Eight factions declared their approval after the Deputy Chair of Commission IX, Putih Sari, reported the results of the discussions.

“Comrades belonging to the Great Coalition of the Indonesian Labour Struggle, the DPR, the government, and the President have now fulfilled the promise that the Labour Protection Law must be completed by October, and today, in October, it has been passed in the plenary session,” said Dassem during a meeting with labour groups after the Bill was approved by the DPR.

The formation of this Bill follows the Constitutional Court Decision Number 168/PUU-XXI/2023, which requested that the law-making body draft specific labour regulations separate from the Job Creation Law (Omnibus Law).

During the ratification, labour representatives witnessed the session from the balcony of the plenary hall, while labour masses held demonstrations outside the Parliament Complex to monitor the approval of the Bill.

Following the plenary meeting, Dasco, alongside Deputy Speakers of the DPR RI Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal and Saan Mustopa, met with the masses at the gates, accompanied by the Chief of National Police General Suyudi Ario Seto and the President of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers’ Unions (KSPSI), Andi Gani Nena Wea.

According to Dasco, the leadership of the labour coalition specifically requested that the DPR leadership convey the results of the plenary session directly to the workers in attendance.

“Labour comrades, remain steadfast. Hopefully, in the future, the cooperation between labour, employers, the government, and the DPR will proceed smoothly,” he said.

He added that the DPR RI is committed to ensuring that this Law provides protection and certainty for workers, while simultaneously maintaining the sustainability of the business world.