Labor Unions Resume to Stage Protest Against Job Creation Omnibus Law Today

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Worker Union Confederation (KSPI) was set to resume demonstrations to protest the Omnibus Law on Job Creation today, October 7, 2020.

“After hundreds of thousands or even nearly one million workers left factories to join the national strike yesterday, we will today resume the strike,” said KSPI President Said Iqbal in a statement.

The series of rallies were carried out in response to Omnibus Law that was passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) at the plenary meeting on Monday, October 5. The enactment of the bill into law was faster than the previous rumors on October 8.

The KSPI recorded that yesterday’s action were held in many industrial areas including Serang, Cilegon, Tangerang, Jakarta, Depok, Bogor, Bekasi, Karawang, Purwakarta, Cianjur, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Pasuruan, Gresik, Mojokerto, Lampung, Medan, Deli Serdang, Batam, Banda Aceh, Banjarmasin, and Gorontalo.

Said Iqbal denied the saying that what workers did was illegal, arguing it was a form of protest over the passage of the omnibus law.

The legal basis for the strike, he explained, was Law No. 9/1998 on the freedom of speech and Article 4 of Law No. 21/2000 on the function of labor unions which included planning and holding a strike.

“Besides, the legal basis for the strike we do is Law No. 39/1999 on human rights and Law No. 12/2005 on the Ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political,” Said Iqbal.

The KSPI again appealed to workers who joined the rally against the Job Creation Law to prioritize the COVID-19 health protocol by wearing face masks at the location and maintaining a distance between each other.

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ANDITA RAHMA