Prabowo to Attend Labour Day Celebration at Monas
President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to attend the Labour Day or May Day 2026 celebration in the National Monument (Monas) area, Jakarta. Labour Day, which falls on 1 May each year, is an international moment for the struggle for workers’ rights, and in Indonesia, it has been designated as a national holiday since 2013.
Ahead of the May Day commemoration, Head of the Indonesian Government Communication Agency Muhammad Qodari reaffirmed the Prabowo administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare issues.
According to the man who was recently inaugurated as the head of the agency, workers’ welfare and business health are not mutually opposed but two sides of the same goal. For Qodari, the state acts as a protector of workers while also safeguarding job sustainability.
“As a form of this commitment, President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to attend the peak of the 2026 National Labour Day commemoration, which will be held at the National Monument (Monas), Jakarta,” Qodari said at the agency’s office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, quoted from a press release.
He then stated that the government stands with the workers. “The government wants to emphasise one thing: the government’s position is not against the workers, but stands together with the workers,” Qodari said.
He noted that the government understands that ahead of Labour Day, workers face various concerns. For example, threats of termination of employment (PHK), pressure from living costs, and economic uncertainty. “The government notes and understands this anxiety,” Qodari said.
The Labour Party and the Indonesian Confederation of Trade Unions (KSPI) are confirmed to hold the 2026 May Day commemoration at Monas, Central Jakarta. Initially, the Labour Day event was planned in front of the MPR/DPR/DPD Complex in Senayan.
The Labour Party and KSPI will mobilise around 50,000 people to the May Day event at Monas. The estimated total number of participants from the Labour Party, KSPI, and other trade unions is 100,000 people.
Labour Party President Said Iqbal said the venue change was decided after meeting with President Prabowo on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. The meeting lasted about 120 minutes. “Before 1 May, KSPI and the Labour Party had requested time to meet with the president, and the request was granted,” Said said in a written statement on Wednesday, 29 April 2026.
He continued that during the meeting, the Labour Party conveyed 11 issues or workers’ hopes, one of the main ones being that the celebration should not be merely ceremonial.
Because, he said, Labour Day is a moment to convey workers’ aspirations and demands directly to policymakers. “Of the 11 issues we raised, several received immediate responses and affirmations from the President,” Said stated.