
Mass Redundancies and Structural Poverty
Throughout 2023-2025, the number of workers who lost their jobs increased dramatically. In early 2025 alone, 40,000 workers were made redundant. The government failed to prevent this crisis despite previously promising preventative measures.
President Prabowo responded by issuing Government Regulation No. 6 of 2025, which provides compensation of 60% of salary for six months for redundancy victims. However, this policy is considered only a short-term solution that does not address the root causes of mass redundancies. Furthermore, programmes such as the Redundancy Task Force and the Job Creation Act are actually thought to worsen employment conditions.
Meanwhile, women are the most affected group. After losing their jobs, many are marginalised into the informal sector, home-based work without social security, or forced to migrate abroad. Without social protection, female workers also bear the multiple burden of domestic work as the family breadwinners.
In addition to the redundancy crisis, the impact of the global trade war also deserves criticism at this time. This is especially due to the protectionist policies of the United States under Donald Trump. The imposition of high tariffs on Indonesian textile products weakens domestic industry, triggers redundancies, and worsens the condition of female workers. They face wage cuts, unpaid leave, and exploitation in global supply chains.
The government is merely busy seeking short-term diplomatic solutions without building a foundation for a just economy and strengthening social protection. Without serious efforts to implement the principles of decent work and living wages, female workers will continue to be the main victims of the global economic crisis.
Another issue highlighted is the crisis in care work that is entirely burdened on women. Access to social security such as BPJS and PBI is limited, and programmes such as Free Nutritious Meals are considered unable to meet the real needs of workers’ families who have lost income. The government has also not shown political will to pass the Domestic Workers Protection Bill, which has been delayed for two decades.
Criticism has also arisen against the government’s strategy of encouraging the deployment of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) to increase national remittances, which last year reached Rp253 trillion. The revision of the PMI Law is said to have been done without involving migrant worker organisations, and focuses more on state profits than the protection of migrant workers—the majority of whom are women in the care sector.
Democracy Threatened, Civic Space Shrinking
Amidst the social and economic crisis, we cannot forget about the free-falling condition of democracy and civil liberties. Revisions to the TNI Law, discussions on the Police Bill, and the Criminal Code Bill could pave the way for the return of militarism and the suppression of civic space.
The revision of the TNI Law passed in March 2025 has the potential to revive the Dual Function of the Armed Forces. According to Imparsial’s records, thousands of TNI personnel now occupy positions in civilian ministries and agencies. This placement not only damages the democratic system, but also creates structural inequality, where active military personnel are not subject to civil law.
The most serious problem is the placement of the TNI in national strategic projects (PSN), including on palm oil land in Kalimantan and security in Papua. YLBHI noted that by July 2024, 2,887 soldiers had been deployed to Papua without a valid legal basis. This revives the Military Emergency mode, only wrapped in new terms such as “KKB” or “Armed Criminal Group”. This action is not only illegal, but endangers civilian safety because it is carried out in residential areas, not battlefields.
Meanwhile, the Police Bill, which expands the authority for digital surveillance and cyber intelligence, is also criticised for its potential to spy on and silence labour actions, feminist movements, and other social communities. According to KontraS records (2023), surveillance of female activists increased by 47% after the passage of the ITE Law and the expansion of police intelligence functions. The presence of the Police Law is likely to increase the criminalisation of workers, women and the people.
The Criminal Code Bill is also a threat because it revives rubber articles such as insulting the president and state institutions, and criminalises demonstrations. In fact, waves of criminalisation against social movement activists have repeatedly occurred. According to SAFEnet records (2024), 62% of complaints of criminalisation of activists come from vulnerable groups including female workers who are fighting for their rights.
Demands of the Indonesian Women’s Alliance
Facing the above situation, in commemoration of International Workers’ Day or May Day, API demands:
1. Stop misleading false solutions and create welfare for workers, women and people that prioritises life-based economic justice, not profit.
2. Stop mass redundancies, provide protection guarantees for workers and their families from waves of mass redundancies.
3. Social protection for care work such as the provision of quality and affordable Day Care for workers’ children, social subsidies for domestic/care work.
4. Realise universal social security policies without discrimination against work status or gender.
5. Ratify ILO 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work as a form of recognition and protection for all layers of workers including domestic workers, informalised workers, digital workers, migrant workers and others.
6. Reject the return of the Armed Forces’ Dual Function, revoke the TNI Law and reject the Criminal Procedure Code Bill, and the Police Bill that legalises repression against civilians.
7. Immediately pass the Domestic Workers Protection Act (PPRT) and involve Civil Society for the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Bill (PPMI).
The demonstrators wore red clothing as a symbol of struggle. The Indonesian Women’s Alliance invites all elements of society to show solidarity and together fight for social welfare for workers, women, and the people of Indonesia.
Prabowo – Gibran, Stop the Deception!
We Don’t Need False Solutions