Labour Coalition to Hold Dialogue with DPR Tomorrow on the Employment Protection Bill

The Great Coalition of Indonesian Workers’ Struggle (KBPBI) has been invited to a meeting tomorrow by the Working Committee of the DPR’s Commission IX. The coalition will attend to convey its aspirations regarding the Employment Protection Bill.

“Today we want to convey that initially the position of KSPSI AGN together with KBPBI and our fellow confederations was to plan an action on 17 September 2026 to support the swift enactment of the Employment Protection Bill for the benefit of workers. However, because tomorrow, on the 16th, KBPBI has been invited by the Working Committee to hold a dialogue,” said AGN Hermanto Achmad, Secretary General of KSPSI AGN, when met at the KSPSI AGN Executive Board office in South Jakarta on Tuesday (15/9/2026).

R. Abdullah, Vice President of KSPSI AGN, added that the organisation is bringing two strategic issues to the deliberation of the Employment Protection Bill. One of them concerns termination of employment (PHK).

“One thing we consider strategic and important is PHK. In the draft prepared by the DPR, PHK is notified first, then discussed. This is a methodology of termination that is very, very unsatisfactory for us. Why? Because PHK should, at the mere stage of intention, be negotiated with the worker and/or the trade union where the worker is a union member. Only if there is no meeting point should an agreement on the next steps be reached,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah will also address the issue of wages. He urged that the Employment Protection Bill strengthen the Wage Council.

“The second issue is wages. Regarding wage parameters, it seems that in the wage review process, absolute authority has been given to the government statistics agency. What should be strengthened is the Wage Council, even though statistics should of course still be involved,” he said.

Ahmad Supriyadi, Deputy Chair of KSPSI AGN, said workers would wait until 22 September for their aspirations to be met. If they are not, he said KSPSI AGN would stage a protest on Jalan MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on 24 September.

“If, by 22 September, we do not receive a concrete answer to our substantive expectations regarding the Employment Protection Law, then on the 24th we will hold the action next to Grand Indonesia on Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, to deliver a petition to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through President Prabowo Subianto,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad said some 50,000 motorcyclists would take part in the action, with participants coming from various cities from Banten to West Java.

“For this action, the 50,000 motorcyclists will set off from Tangerang Regency, then from Bekasi Regency and City, as well as from Karawang, and possibly also from Purwakarta. So the total will reach 50,000, and the focal point of the action will be on Jalan Thamrin, Jakarta, next to Grand Indonesia,” he said.