Ministry of Manpower Urged to Provide Certainty for the Electricity Sector

The PT PLN Indonesia Power Services Labour Union (SP PLN Indonesia Power Services) has again reminded the Ministry of Manpower (Kemenaker) to follow up on commitments made during a dialogue regarding the revision of Minister of Manpower Regulation (Permenaker) Number 7 of 2026. The reminder was conveyed through letter number 037/SP-PIPS/VI/2026, which was received by the Ministry on 29 June 2026. The letter follows up on the results of an audience between union representatives and ministry officials that took place on 18 June 2026. As a gesture of good faith, SP PLN Indonesia Power Services requested that the government accommodate the points previously discussed in the dialogue forum. Two main issues highlighted are the removal of the electricity sector from the category of supporting service jobs and the explicit inclusion of classifications for core and supporting jobs in the regulation. The electricity sector is an inseparable part of electricity supply, which is directly related to the public interest and national energy security. Therefore, its placement as a supporting service job is considered inconsistent with the sector’s characteristics, the union stated. They also assess that clarity regarding the categories of core and supporting jobs is important to avoid multiple interpretations, create legal certainty, and ensure uniform application of the rules for workers, companies, investors, and other stakeholders. SP PLN Indonesia Power Services hopes that the revision of Permenaker Number 7 of 2026 will truly accommodate the results of the dialogue and consider input from workers who play a role in maintaining the reliability of the national electricity system. However, if the issued regulation still retains the electricity sector as a supporting service job category without substantive changes, the union will conduct a national consolidation and consider further legal steps, including holding a public expression of opinion planned to involve around 1,000 participants. This action is a form of conveying aspirations guaranteed by the constitution and will be carried out while prioritising public order, safety, and respect for the applicable legal process, the union stressed. The union emphasised that this struggle is not only related to the interests of current workers but also concerns the sustainability of the electricity profession, certainty of employment relations, the quality of national electricity services, and the protection of human resources who are the backbone of the sector’s operations. We believe that dialogue is the best path. However, the aspirations of workers that have been officially conveyed must also be realised in the substance of the regulation. We hope the revision of the Permenaker truly reflects the commitment that has been built together, the union concluded.