Said Iqbal to Confront TikTok Over Alleged Mass Layoffs at Tokopedia

Presidential Adviser for Employment and Workers’ Welfare, Said Iqbal, will visit the TikTok Indonesia office in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Tuesday. He suspects that Tokopedia, the e-commerce company now owned by TikTok Pte Ltd, has laid off 90 per cent of its employees. Iqbal also suspects that TikTok carried out the layoffs after acquiring Tokopedia and managing it from its office in China. If these suspicions are confirmed, he plans to sue TikTok under the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 193 concerning decent work in the platform economy, including decent work for digital and gig workers. “Tomorrow at 10 a.m., we will go to the TikTok office. If the management of TikTok Indonesia does not receive us, I will stand right in front of TikTok’s door. Why make it complicated?” Iqbal asked reporters after a press conference by the Labour Union Coalition with the Labour Party in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday, 6 July 2026. The Labour Party chairman also regretted the alleged layoffs, noting that TikTok had invested more than US$1.5 billion, or around Rp23 trillion, as a long-term commitment to support Tokopedia’s operations. Regarding his visit, he wants to ensure that the 1,250 employees who were allegedly laid off by Tokopedia receive their full entitlements. “Business must be mutually beneficial. Do not harm the nation’s children. How many zeros are there in US$1.5 billion?” Iqbal asked reporters. PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk Corporate Secretary R. A. Koesoemohadiani addressed the widespread reports of mass layoffs by PT Tokopedia. She stated that the company respects any steps taken or to be taken by Tokopedia’s management regarding the organisational adjustment plan. Koesoemohadiani confirmed that the impact on GoTo’s financial and non-financial aspects would be limited. “This is because our ownership in Tokopedia was diluted to 24.99 per cent in January 2024. Therefore, the company no longer consolidates Tokopedia’s actions,” she said, as quoted from an information disclosure to the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Saturday, 4 July 2026. GoTo currently records its investment in PT Tokopedia using the equity method in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Statement 228 concerning investments in associates and joint ventures. Thus, any potential financial impact on GoTo would be limited to the share of net profit or loss of associates and joint ventures. “There is no material impact on the company’s share of PT Tokopedia’s net profit or loss,” Koesoemohadiani stated. She also confirmed that there would be no impact on the e-commerce service fees the company receives from PT Tokopedia. “Regarding non-financial aspects, the company also does not anticipate any material impact in connection with the circulating news.” Because the impact on GoTo will be limited, she said the company does not plan to take any special measures. “As of the date of this letter, GoTo has no immediate plans regarding its ownership in PT Tokopedia,” she said. Reports have circulated on social media that TikTok, through its business entity in Indonesia, PT Tokopedia, has laid off 90 per cent of its employees. However, as of the time this news was published, there has been no official statement from the relevant parties confirming the reports. Tokopedia is now controlled by TikTok Pte Ltd after GoTo divested its majority stake in early 2024.