Said Iqbal Reveals Government's Next Move on Tokopedia and TikTok Layoff Controversy

Presidential Special Adviser on Employment and Labour Welfare Said Iqbal has stated he will directly follow up on the issue of layoffs at Tokopedia and TikTok. This step is being taken specifically to obtain the facts before the government takes further action.

According to Said Iqbal, the digital economy sector has different characteristics compared to the manufacturing industry, so every employment issue must be viewed comprehensively. “We must not only listen to one side. The government needs to get a complete picture of what actually happened,” he said in Jakarta, quoted on Sunday.

Said Iqbal said the move was aimed at gathering complete facts before the government takes further steps. “I am arranging a time to meet directly with the workers and the company,” he stated.

Tokopedia and TikTok are part of the platform-based digital economy industry. Because of this, he will first go into the field to find the facts. “I will invite the Ministry of Manpower to jointly conduct an in-depth investigation so that the root of the problem can be clearly identified,” he added.

He stressed that if the investigation finds violations of labour laws and regulations, the government will take action according to its authority. However, Said Iqbal also reminded that the government needs to look at the business conditions faced by the company. If the issue is related to market dynamics, changes in business models, or economic pressures causing the company to suffer losses, then the resolution must be achieved through constructive dialogue between the government, the company, and the workers.

“Not all layoff issues have the same cause. If the problem is related to the market situation or the company’s business conditions, of course we will sit down together to find the best solution that protects workers while maintaining business continuity,” he said.

He said the government’s current approach prioritises direct resolution in the field. This model has previously been applied in several industrial relations cases and successfully prevented the layoffs of thousands of workers. According to him, government-facilitated dialogue can produce good solutions. In one case, around 4,000 workers were saved from the threat of layoffs through this approach. “Therefore, we will apply the same approach to the issues in the digital economy sector,” said Said Iqbal.