TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The crowd of workers protesting in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta, was divided among three makeshift stages set up atop command vehicles. On Friday afternoon, May 1, 2026, speakers took turns delivering fiery speeches, their voices overlapping so that their messages were barely audible.

The rally outside the House complex was organized by the Labor Movement Alliance with the People (Gebrak). The group consists of several labor unions and civil society organizations that advocate for workers' issues.

A representative of the Gebrak Alliance, Unang Sunarno, said a number of labor unions still chose to protest because the government had much unfinished business in the labor sector. "Layoffs and inadequate wages remain problems that the administration of Prabowo Subianto has yet to resolve," Sunarno said in Jakarta on Friday, May 1.

Sunarno, who serves as Chair of the Confederation of Indonesian Labor Union Alliances, said leaders of pro government labor groups had tried to persuade him to shift the protest to the National Monument (Monas) Square in Central Jakarta. Branded as the "May Day Fiesta," the event across from the State Palace was attended by President Prabowo Subianto. Sunarno said these labor leaders had promised that he and his colleagues could voice their aspirations directly to Prabowo. "They were willing to provide buses to transport us to Monas," he said.

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