Workers Still Doubtful About Prabowo's Promise to Build Daycare Facilities in Industrial Areas

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to build daycare or childminding facilities in industrial areas has drawn varied responses from labour groups. Some welcome it positively as it could assist female workers, while others call for further studies on security and the financing of such services. General Secretary of the Independent Manufacturing Workers’ Union Federation of Indonesia (GSPMI) Tarman stated that the presence of daycares in industrial areas could basically help workers monitor their children while at work. “Oh, yes, I agree with that. They can keep an eye on their children,” Tarman said when met by Kompas.com on the sidelines of International Labour Day around Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jakarta, on Friday (1/5/2026). Nevertheless, Tarman believes that closeness between children and parents remains important. However, some workers do need childminding facilities due to work conditions and daily activities. A different view was expressed by Field Coordinator of the Linfox Logistics Indonesia Workers’ Union (SPLLI) Totong Rohimat. He believes that child education and upbringing should still be done directly by parents. “If it’s daycare, what can I say? Child education is better with the parents,” Totong told Kompas.com at the same location. According to him, the plan to provide daycares in industrial areas still needs further study before implementation. “If in those points, it seems it needs to be reviewed again,” Totong said. Meanwhile, General Chair of the Indonesian Labour Union Federation (GSBI) Alfiana said that labour groups are still questioning guarantees of security and the responsibility of daycare operators if the programme is realised by the government. She alluded to child abuse cases in childminding facilities in Yogyakarta as a concern for workers, especially female labourers. “Can there be guarantees that something like that won’t happen,” Alfiana said, in the same opportunity.