Responding to this situation, Panggung Merdeka 100% [1] organised its second parallel discussion entitled “Working Less, Living Better, A Just World for All”. The discussion featured Ajeng Anggraini (Perempuan Mahardhika), Francesco Hugo (Suara Muda Kelas Pekerja [2]), Echa Waode (Arus Pelangi [3]), and Guruh Riyanto (SINDIKASI [4]), facilitated by Tyas Widuri and Andini N (Perempuan Mahardhika).

Ajeng Anggraini emphasised that Indonesia’s current economic system forces people to work endlessly in pursuit of exploitative growth targets. According to her, work should be a means to live more decently, not trap people in a cycle of living to work endlessly.

“The state only focuses on economic acceleration with low wages. Our lives are reduced to working machines: without rest, without leave, without space for socialising. Women even bear a double burden, public and domestic, so they have no time to deal with their cases of violence or simply maintain culture. We must reverse this logic: work to live, not live to work,” said Ajeng.

Meanwhile, Francesco Hugo described the reality of young people living trapped in uncertain work conditions. He highlighted how the younger generation is forced to accept unstable working conditions, without guarantees, and vulnerable to exploitation.

“Our working conditions are full of subtle exploitation: stagnant salaries, rising inflation, and sudden threats of layoffs. Young people become depoliticised, considered cool if they can live frugally when they’re just surviving. A fair future needs work that is transparent, democratic, and collective. Cooperatives could be the way—not to become petty capitalists, but to build solidarity to fight capitalist hegemony,” Hugo emphasised.

Furthermore, Echa Waode highlighted workplace discrimination experienced by LGBTIQ+ workers in Indonesia, where sexual orientation and gender identity are often used as reasons to close access to decent work.

“In this country, sexual orientation and gender identity are often used as reasons to close access to work. Yet what determines this is skill, not appearance or whom we love. The state not only fails to provide decent work, but also collects taxes from us whilst discriminating against us. We must fight stigma—because what’s rotten is not our identity, but the state that oppresses,” said Echa.

On the other hand, Guruh Riyanto emphasised that dominant economic indicators such as GDP [5] are never sufficient to describe the reality of people’s lives. Such measures essentially only strengthen capitalism, whilst the real welfare of workers is ignored.

“Our economic growth is often praised, yet it’s supported by desperate consumption. We need to shift the measure from GDP to real worker welfare. With advances in technology and AI, working hours should be reduced, not increased. Robot taxes, AI taxes, could be ways to strengthen social security. The point is: work must no longer be a prison, but a door to a decent life,” explained Guruh.

This discussion affirmed the importance of building liberating political-economic imagination, namely breaking out of purely capitalistic measures and daring to formulate a just development direction. Discussion spaces like this not only serve as venues for sharing experiences and critiques of working conditions, but also become the foundation for imagining new possibilities—a society where work is no longer a source of oppression. From here, more progressive collective imagination can grow, challenging the status quo, and opening the path towards a more just future for all.

“We are accustomed to accepting exploitation as if it were natural, so we rarely imagine another just world. Yet it is this courage to imagine that opens the path to change. Cross-movement collectives, cooperatives, and organising strategies are the keys to a just world of work,” concluded Tyas and Andini as facilitators.

Perempuan Mahardhika (Free Women) is an Indonesian feminist organisation advocating for women’s rights and social justice]]

📌 Editorial Note: This discussion is part of Panggung Merdeka 100%, a space of resistance and celebration of people’s independence that promotes a vision of Indonesia without exploitation, discrimination, and oppression.

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