Laborers Hope for Prosperity

Prosperity is worth fighting for. Workers who fight for their rights and fulfill their obligations for the sake of a prosperous life deserve to be supported.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Thousands of workers staged a peaceful demonstration to celebrate International Labor Day or May Day in the Horse Statue area, Jl. MH Thamrin, Jakarta, Monday (1/5/2023). Among other things, they demanded the repeal of the Job Creation Law and the passing of the Domestic Worker Protection Bill.

In commemoration of International Workers' Day on 1 May 2023, workers voiced their demands and hopes for their own and their families' prosperity. In Indonesia, tens of thousands of workers expressed a number of demands, including the cancellation of Law No. 6 of 2023 on the Establishment of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 on Job Creation becoming a Law. There are various issues criticized in the law, including low wages and outsourcing in all types of work.

The COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding. However, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, high inflation in many countries and disruptions in food and energy supply chains are shaking the global economy. This has an impact on workers. The International Labor Organization (ILO) stated in its 2023 Flagship Report that global employment is projected to grow by 1 percent in 2023. This employment expansion is lower compared to 2022, which was at 2.3 percent.