Why Are Indomaret Workers Protesting?

Thousands of Indomaret workers staged a protest outside the Indomaret Tower in Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK), Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Tuesday, 26 May 2026. The demonstration was a protest against company policies deemed detrimental to workers. Around 2,500 participants from various trade union federations joined the action. A representative from PUK SPAI FSPMI PT Indomarco Prismatama stated, ‘Approximately 1,000 workers from Indomaret Jabodetabek and 1,500 from 11 trade union federations under the Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPI) participated.’ The key demand concerns changes to overtime pay for national holidays, now replaced with compensatory days off. ‘Working on national holidays without overtime pay is extremely unfair. It’s a major source of disappointment for us as store staff because overtime on these dates forms the backbone of our wages,’ they told Kompas.com. They also argued the policy violates labour regulations. ‘We refuse to have our working days on public holidays replaced with days off. The law clearly states that work on public holidays must be paid,’ they added. Another worker, Winda Ayu Kisnanti from the Tangerang 1 branch, said the change has been in effect since May 2026. She stated that the removal of overtime pay directly impacts workers’ living costs. ‘Overtime pay is crucial because not everyone has sufficient household needs and personal obligations,’ she said.