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Prabowo pledges stronger worker protections, labor reform at May Day rally
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Addressing workers' welfare: President Prabowo Subianto (second right) delivers his speech on Thursday during a May Day rally in Jakarta. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto delivered on Thursday a fiery speech on International Workers’ Day, or May Day, pledging reforms to improve workers’ welfare and promote stronger labor protections, amid dissatisfaction over labor conditions and concerns of more job losses.
Speaking in front of thousands of workers at the National Monument in Central Jakarta, Prabowo declared himself the “president of workers, farmers, fishermen and the poor” and said his administration is committed to building a fair, productive and sustainable labor system nationwide.
“We will work tirelessly so that every Indonesian child can attend school free of charge. We will also strive to provide the best possible healthcare services, including making medicines as affordable as possible,” he said.
He also unveiled a plan to establish the National Workers Welfare Council, a new body composed of labor union leaders and other prominent public figures tasked with evaluating existing labor regulations and recommending to the President what kind of reforms are needed to protect workers’ rights.
Among priority agenda items for the council will be to find ways to gradually eliminate outsourcing practices, which often leave workers with less job security and fewer benefits, such as health insurance and retirement funds, as well as lower wages compared to directly employed workers.
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The President, however, acknowledged the need to balance reforms with maintaining a conducive environment for investors, saying, “We also have to be realistic […] If they don’t invest, there won’t be any factories, and you won’t have jobs. So we need to work together with them.”
