Workers Demonstrate Outside the Kemnaker Building, Urge Enactment of the Employment Law

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A number of workers from the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers’ Union (FSPMI) staged a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. According to Kompas.com’s observations at the scene, the workers gathered in the front parking area in front of the Kemnaker gate, thereby not blocking access to Gatot Subroto Street in front of it. The demonstrators wore outfits in black-red and white-blue. They lined up in an orderly fashion in front of around a dozen police officers who were guarding, wearing sashes and white kopiah. Several senior leaders of the labour organisations led the march from a command vehicle parked facing the crowd and with its back to the Kemnaker building. ‘Pass the Employment Law!’ the demonstrators shouted. In their speeches, labour representatives stressed that the Employment Law must be enacted this year, with a deadline no later than October 2026. ‘We have until October; the Employment Law must be enacted soon. It is our lifeblood, it is our blood. Do not let other issues be smuggled into the Employment Law later,’ said the orator. In addition to pressing for the enactment of the Employment Law, the crowd also demanded that the debate on scrapping the outsourcing system be immediately realised, rejection of cheap wages practices, requesting payment of the holiday allowance (THR) without income tax deductions (PPh), opposing the import of pickup trucks from India, reinstated BPJS contribution assistance beneficiaries (PBI), and urged the enactment of the Household Worker Act. At least 10 labour representatives participated in the hearing, while the demonstrators continued with their speeches.