Workers Urge DPR to Avoid Omnibus Law-Style Rush in Manpower Bill Deliberations

President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) Said Iqbal has reminded the House of Representatives (DPR RI) that the deliberation of the Labour Bill must not resemble the process for the Omnibus Law on Job Creation several years ago.

At that time, he assessed that the deliberation of the Omnibus Law, which also regulated labour affairs, was conducted late at night and moved from hotel to hotel. He also considered that the law had weak public participation because workers were not involved.

“Workers were left out of the process, simply because at that time they were chasing a deadline,” Iqbal said during a meeting with DPR leadership at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Thursday.

Although there is now also a deadline based on the Constitutional Court ruling, he nevertheless hopes that the deliberation of the Labour Bill will genuinely listen to workers’ aspirations and produce a comprehensive law.

Moreover, according to him, public participation in the bill’s deliberation is essential because there are now many new definitions and types of workers, such as digital platform workers, medical workers, campus workers and lecturers.

He said the regulatory scope of the Labour Bill will become increasingly broad due to the many new types of jobs. For this reason, he asked that the bill be deliberated without haste so that it will not be challenged again at the Constitutional Court.

“Regarding the Labour Bill to be discussed, we are of the opinion, and hopefully the majority of workers also share this view, that if there is no agreement, at least there should be room for differences of opinion,” Iqbal said.

Previously, the DPR leadership held a meeting with various labour union elements at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss the form of involvement of all labour unions in the deliberations of the Labour Bill.

Deputy Speaker of the DPR Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said that the law being drafted is a new Labour Law after the Constitutional Court ordered labour affairs to be removed from the Job Creation Law. The Constitutional Court also set a deadline for the new law to be completed before 31 October 2026.

“If there are differences among the unions, we will resolve them. Later, regarding any differences with Apindo (the Indonesian Employers’ Association), we will sit down together,” Dasco said when opening the meeting.