Labour Day 2026: DPR Member Demands Government Fulfil Promise on PHK Task Force

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Member of DPR RI Commission IX Edy Wuryanto is demanding the realisation of President Prabowo Subianto’s promise regarding the establishment of the Employment Termination Task Force (Satgas PHK) on the occasion of International Labour Day 2026.

Edy believes that forming the Satgas PHK is urgently needed to respond to the ongoing waves of employment terminations recurring in various industrial sectors.

“Soekarno once stated that workers are the pillar of development. This Labour Day momentum must become a turning point. We can no longer just handle the impacts of PHK, but must start preventing it systematically. This is where the importance of Satgas PHK lies,” said Edy to Kompas.com on Friday (1/5/2026).

The PDI-P politician reminded that the establishment of Satgas PHK is a promise made by the President during the Labour Day commemoration on 1 May 2025.

“Many workers are losing their jobs without certainty of finding new employment. This is not just an employment issue, but has already touched on family economic resilience,” said Edy.

Based on data held by Edy, throughout 2025, more than 65,000 workers were recorded as affected by PHK.

Up to April 2026, thousands more workers have lost their jobs.

According to Edy, this data indicates that the PHK threat is no longer a temporary phenomenon, but rather a structural pressure that keeps recurring.

Edy also highlighted the government’s policy response, which he assesses as still tending to be reactive.

The government, he said, often acts after PHK has occurred, while an early warning system to detect potential PHK has not yet been adequately established.

“Therefore, Satgas PHK must be designed with two main roles, namely on the upstream and downstream sides,” said Edy.

On the upstream side, Satgas PHK is tasked with preventing PHK by intervening in companies under pressure, including through providing incentives to keep them operational.

“This includes companies facing bankruptcy lawsuits in commercial courts, where efforts should be made to negotiate with creditors so as not to lead to mass PHK,” he stated.