Tobacco Workers' Union Prepared to Monitor Labour Law Revision

The Federation of Tobacco, Food, and Beverage Workers’ Unions of All Indonesia (FSP RTMM-SPSI) has reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring the direction of national labour policy. Facing dual threats from the revision of the Labour Law and the impact of regulations on the Tobacco Products Industry (IHT), the union held a labour seminar titled ‘A Fair Direction for Labour Policy for All’ in Bogor.

The event featured key figures including Indra, Special Staff to the Minister of Manpower, and Obon Tabroni, a member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the Gerindra Party. As a large organisation representing 242,000 members—158,000 of whom depend on the tobacco industry—the union is questioning the future of labour welfare.

Indra emphasised that the foundation of law-making must refer to the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees the right to work, a decent living, and legal certainty. He noted that if the constitution is upheld, issues such as outsourcing instability and wage inequality between senior and new workers should be resolved. However, he revealed that political pressure influenced the issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 7 of 2026 regarding outsourcing. He stated that while the initial draft proposed limiting outsourcing to only five types of work, interventions from various parties led to a more relaxed regulation that has disappointed workers.

In response to labour concerns, Obon Tabroni expressed optimism that the new Labour Law would be more pro-worker than the Job Creation Law. He assured that the drafting process would be transparent and open to input from trade unions. He also urged workers to use social media to monitor the issue, noting that President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to the working class is evident.

Henry Wardana, General Chairman of FSP RTMM-SPSI, urged members to remain optimistic about the President’s commitment but warned against complacency. He stressed the need to closely monitor the legislative process to prevent any last-minute manipulation of the law. Furthermore, the union issued a stern warning to Commission IX and the Ministry of Manpower to block policies from the Ministry of Health and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture that could trigger mass layoffs. These include proposed regulations on plain packaging, new excise tax layers for machine-made cigarettes, and restrictions on Tar-Nicotine levels.

‘We warn the government strictly. We must not allow the tragedy of the collapse of the national textile industry to repeat itself in our Tobacco Products Industry. If the national tobacco industry collapses due to reckless regulation, millions of workers will face layoffs, creating a humanitarian disaster for this nation,’ concluded Wardana.

Data shows that tobacco production has declined from 338 billion sticks in 2017 to 307 billion sticks in recent estimates. Additionally, industry stakeholders have expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of new excise layers on illegal cigarette circulation and are seeking protection from proposed restrictions on nicotine and tar levels.