Prabowo Calls Dasco, Entrusts Greetings for Labour Rally at DPR

Jakarta - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) Sufmi Dasco Ahmad delivered greetings from President Prabowo Subianto to the labour masses holding a demonstration in front of the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (1/5/2026). Dasco conveyed the message while opening an audience with labour representatives in the DPR building, apologising for the slight delay in starting the event. “Please forgive the slight delay; earlier, I received a call from the President. Although you weren’t with the president celebrating Labour Day earlier, he entrusts his greetings and wishes a happy Labour Day to all of you,” Dasco said at the DPR RI building. Kompas.com observations noted that Dasco, who had initially sat in front of the labour representatives, briefly took a phone call. Meanwhile, labour representatives from the Gerakan Buruh Bersama Rakyat (Gebrak) explained the reasons for their action at the DPR rather than attending the Labour Day commemoration at Monas with the President. General Chairman of the Konfederasi Kongres Aliansi Serikat Buruh Indonesia (KASBI) Sunarno stated that the decision to hold the action at the DPR was not out of hatred for the government, but to voice the still poor labour conditions. “On this occasion, we deliberately held the action at the DPR building, not at Monas with the President. We were invited, but that doesn’t mean we hate the government or anything like that. However, with the current situation or the existing labour conditions, they are still very poor,” he said. Previously reported, DPR RI leaders received an audience with the labour masses demonstrating in front of the DPR RI building as part of the Labour Day or May Day 2026 commemoration. Labour representatives, civil society organisations, and students from Gebrak were allowed into the parliamentary complex and directed to the Abdul Muis Room in the Nusantara Building. In the audience, the labour masses were received by Dasco along with other Deputy Speakers, Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, and attended by leaders and members of Commission IX of the DPR, which handles labour affairs. The labour action in front of the DPR was held to urge the government and DPR to immediately form a new Employment Law, especially following the Constitutional Court decision regarding the Omnibus Law. “Today, we are holding an action at the DPR building with Gebrak comrades. We come to urge the DPR to immediately discuss the new Employment Bill involving labour unions,” Sunarno said. He assessed that the formation of the Employment Law is important because it concerns various crucial aspects for workers, such as the wage system, severance pay, and employment relationship status.