Uproar Over Mie Sedaap's Alleged Dismissal of 400 Workers in Gresik as Employees Laid Off Ahead of Ramadan

Gresik — Rumours of mass redundancies allegedly affecting hundreds of employees at PT Karunia Alam Segar (KAS), the Gresik-based manufacturer of the popular Mie Sedaap instant noodle brand, have caused a public furore across Indonesia. The issue emerged just as Ramadan approached — a period when workers typically depend on receiving their Religious Holiday Allowance (THR).

According to information circulating on social media, approximately 400 workers have been stood down without official explanation from the company, despite their employment contracts not yet having expired. The affected labourers were supplied by five outsourcing firms: PT Asnawa Anugerah Utama, PT Atiga Langgeng Mandiri, PT Karya Manunggal Jati, PT Sabda Alam, and PT Perwita Nusaraya.

Mie Sedaap workers were reportedly sent home three days before the start of Ramadan. In addition, they had already experienced a reduction in working days to just two or three per week, with irregular shift hours.

These conditions had persisted for the past month. The situation reached a head when workers were notified by their team leaders via a WhatsApp group on Monday, 16 February 2026, that they were no longer employed.

The workers said they received neither severance pay nor THR. To date, PT KAS has not issued any official statement.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad weighed in on the Mie Sedaap redundancies, which had gone viral on social media. He confirmed that his office had received representations from a number of the affected workers and had commenced further coordination with the company.

Dasco added that redundancy measures should not be carried out ahead of Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr. After communicating with the Wings Group-owned noodle manufacturer, Dasco said Mie Sedaap had committed to ceasing all dismissals and would not lay off or stand down any more employees.

“Mie Sedaap will immediately stop the redundancies that have taken place, and the company has also promised there will be no further dismissals at Mie Sedaap,” Dasco stated.