International Labour Day was commemorated by thousands of Indonesian workers, students, and civil society activists in major cities across the country. Rallies were dominated by the same demands taken up in previous years — for the government to revoke the anti-worker Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Jobs Law), calls for a living wage, and an end to widespread contract labour and outsourcing.

Marking one-and-a-half years since former Suharto-era general President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, this year’s commemorations were overshadowed by concerns over growing authoritarianism and civil freedoms, attacks on activism and press freedom, and the expansion of the Indonesian Military (TNI) into civilian affairs.

Faltering investment and mass layoffs have also hurt workers, and investor concerns over fiscal policy and economic management — worsened by the US’s war on Iran — have seen the Indonesian rupiah hitting historic lows, large capital outflows, and a widening budget deficit.

Like last year, several cities saw left trade unions allied with students and civil society groups hold separate rallies from those organised by the government and yellow trade unions. While most proceeded without incident, protests in West Java were marred by rioting and arson, and mass arrests were made at an anti-government rally in Jakarta.

Aceh

Hundreds of workers from the Aceh Labour Alliance (ABA) held a convoy on May 1 from the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque (MRB) via the Aceh Provincial Legislative Council (DPRA) ending at the Aceh governor’s office.

ABA Chairperson Drs. Tgk. Syaiful Mar told Serambi News that they were taking up several demands, including an increase in the Aceh provincial minimum wage and an end to outsourcing. He also emphasised that the Labour Office must take an active role in ensuring companies pay the minimum wage: “The government should not just wait for reports but must be proactive. Workers are often afraid to report.”

Bali

Decent wages and living standards were highlighted on May Day in the resort island of Bali. “Wages in Bali are still low. The last survey found that around 5 million rupiah [a month] is needed, but what is applied is still 3 million rupiah. This is what we have to discuss in the future,” said Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPSI) Chairperson Wayan Mandra after a speech at Renon Square in Denpasar.

Mandra said that the struggle to improve workers’ welfare was a priority, but it should be done through tripartite bodies involving workers, employers, and the government, rather than demonstrations. On the other hand, he emphasised the importance of balancing business progress and workers’ welfare, especially in Bali, which depends on the tourism sector. “Business grows; workers are also prosperous. The results of tourism must be enjoyed together,” he told Detik Bali.

Bandung

The IDN Times reported that it was university students rather than workers who dominated May Day actions in Bandung, with students from various universities holding a rally at the West Java Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) and the governor’s office.

The students — who said the rally was a form of support for workers — highlighted several demands.

“First, pass a new Labour Law. Second, abolish outsourcing and the low-wage regime. Third, stop mass layoffs and control imports. Fourth, reform taxes, pass the Domestic Worker Protection Law, and abolish the holiday bonus taxes,” said Dika, a student representative from the Muhammadiyah University.

Tribun Jabar reported that later in the evening, a group of unidentified individuals set fire to police posts, Videotrons, and kiosks in the city. The rioting and arson continued until the crowd was dispersed by police using water cannons. According to CNN Indonesia, seven people were subsequently arrested, although only six were charged.

Jakarta

Like last year, May Day commemorations in the capital Jakarta were held at two separate locations.

A May Day Fiesta at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, featuring President Prabowo Subianto, which was attended by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) and the Labour Party, the KSPSI, and the Confederation of All-Indonesian Trade Unions (KSBSI), took the form of a celebratory event rather than a protest.

Prabowo’s arrival on stage was accompanied by music by the ska band Tipe-X, to which he performed his silat fighting-style dance moves perfected during his 2024 presidential election campaign, and after greeting the workers, he tossed his hat into the crowd—which was later followed by a safari shirt.

Flanked by pro-government trade union leaders, he highlighted policies and initiatives over the past year in the interests of workers, citing the national hero award for trade union activist and labour icon Marsinah, who was murdered by the military after leading a strike in East Java in 1993 under the New Order regime of Prabowo’s former father-in-law, Suharto.

Prabowo, who claims the murder was a result of collusion between “certain capitalists” and the state apparatus and that he was “still young” at the time, was actually the commander of an Army special forces group and has been accused of using Marsinah for image building and to blunt public opposition to naming Suharto a national hero last year.

Prabowo also announced the establishment of a task force for mitigating layoffs, which he also promised to do at last year’s May Day, the ratification of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 188 on the protection of fishery sector workers, daycare facilities for workers’ children, and to accelerate the construction of a million homes for workers. A similar pledge to build 3 million homes annually two years ago has only seen 54,000 homes built so far.

He also announced that he had signed a presidential regulation capping the commission taken by ride-hailing companies at 8 percent, down from 20 percent—a demand long fought for by Indonesia’s millions of gig workers. While the Garda Indonesia Online Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Association welcomed the policy, it stressed the importance of strict oversight to ensure proper implementation and compliance.

Prabowo did not say when this new regulation would take effect, and although Indonesia’s homegrown ride-hailing company Gojek and Singapore-based Grab both said they would respect the decision, Gojek’s head of public policy told the Jakarta Post that while it was committed to “supporting the long-term welfare of our driver partners,” lowering its commission was “not a viable solution.”

In what was the only real concession to workers, Prabowo announced the enactment of the Domestic Worker Protection Bill—which has been languishing in parliament for 22 years and has been a key demand at May Day rallies every year. Indonesia has about 4.2 million domestic workers, 90 percent of whom are women, who, up until now, have had no legal protection or job security. According to the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy, there were 3,300 reported cases of violence and abuse against domestic workers between 2017 and 2024.

Prabowo, who is himself a business tycoon in his own right with interests in mining, energy, plantations, and timber, also urged workers not to harbor resentment toward the wealthy, saying many entrepreneurs provide fair employment opportunities. “Let’s not hate the rich” he said, adding that not all entrepreneurs are greedy or exploitative.

Following his speech, The Internationale was played, and along with the other trade union leaders on stage, he raised his fist and sang the first stanza—but a shortened version translated by Ki Hadjar Dewantara that is considered by the left to be too “polite and refined,” which even then was banned by the Suharto regime.

Prabowo then distributed packages of staple goods and threw T-shirts into the crowd carrying the inscription “MAYDAY 2026: For the nation, our body and soul.”

Counter-Rally

Left and progressive labour organisations that are part of the Labor Movement with the People (GEBRAK), which includes the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI), the Indonesian Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBI), the Federation of Food and Beverage Workers Union (FSBMM) and other civil society groups, refused to take part in the Monas rally and staged a separate demonstration in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) parliamentary complex.

KASBI Chairperson Sunarno, who said they had been invited to the Monas rally but declined, described the event organised by the government as state-aligned. “In our view, the May Day celebration at Monas is marked by mainstream narratives and the co-optation by state power,” he told Tempo.

Sunarno added that the alliance would use May Day to highlight an increasingly authoritarian leadership style under Prabowo’s administration. He called on the government to uphold civilian supremacy, halt militaristic practices, and refrain from criminalising public dissent.

Sunarno added that the situation has been exacerbated by the Jobs Law and its derivative regulations, which provide the legal basis for extending outsourcing, restricting wage rises and severance pay, and making it easier to sack workers. Prabowo’s Gerindra Party was one of the strongest supporters of the law when it was enacted in 2019.

Sunarno criticised the stance of other labour unions that chose to celebrate alongside those in power rather than criticising policies that fail to favour workers’ welfare. “A true labour movement must remain independent and refuse to be subjugated by capital interests or political powers that harm the working class,” Sunarno told Tempo.

The GEBRAK alliance presented a broad set of demands, including the enactment of a pro-worker Labour Law with meaningful participation from trade unions in the legislative process, as a follow-up to the Constitutional Court ruling last year mandating an overhaul of the country’s labour laws, abolishing outsourcing, contract labour, and exploitative internships.

The alliance also called for stronger welfare for teachers, lecturers, and healthcare workers, an end to mass layoffs, free access to education and healthcare, the upholding of civilian supremacy, and an end to forced land evictions through genuine agrarian reform.

Mass Arrests

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police, who deployed nearly 25,000 personnel and earlier claimed that they had identified an organised (but unnamed) group planning to provoke riots on May Day, said they had detained 101 individuals suspected of being “anarchists or rioters” who allegedly tried to infiltrate the demonstrations.

Metro Jaya Police Commissioner Iman Imanuddin told Tempo that the group had planned to “sow discord” among trade unions and intended to damage public facilities and infrastructure. “They would also use social media to incite actions, potentially drawing in more violent crowds or triggering anger among other demonstrators,” he said.

According to Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Public Attorney Nabil Hafizhurrahman, however, the majority of those detained were the result of police sweeps, and some had not even arrived at the DPR. “The majority of the protesters arrested were the result of police sweeps. They had not yet reached the action assembly point,” Hafizhurrahman told Kompas.com.

Hafizhurrahman said that several protesters claimed they were directed by police to board buses for specific destinations but were instead taken to the Jakarta police headquarters. The LBH also noted that they had checked the legal status of those detained, and none had actually been declared suspects by police.

Mass arrests and violence have become a standard tactic by police to deter protesters, and scores of people were also detained at last year’s May Day rallies. During the widespread anti-government protests and riots in August last year, more than 6,000 people were arrested, hundreds suffered violence by security forces when breaking up the protests, and many were convicted or are still being held in detention.

Lampung

The Lampung People’s Struggle (PPRL), along with labour, student, and civil society organisations, held a May Day rally in Bandar Lampung, South Sumatra.

The PPRL presented 18 demands, including the ratification of a pro-worker Labour Law, the elimination of flexible work systems, protection for workers across sectors, the resolution of agrarian conflicts, an end to the criminalisation of ordinary people, free education and healthcare, an end to workplace discrimination against women, and the proper implementation of health and safety standards.

The PPRL emphasised that the workers’ struggle cannot be carried out in isolation but requires unity across all elements of society. “History shows that workers’ rights are never given freely, but are fought for through collective movements,” they said in a statement.

Medan

The Labour Party, along with online motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, students, and civil society groups, commemorated May Day in front of the North Sumatra governor’s office in the provincial capital of Medan.

They voiced several demands, including urging the government to pass a new pro-worker Labour Law and the revocation of the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) on the Jobs Law.

“The Jobs Law Perppu must be revoked because it does not side with workers. We want regulations that truly protect workers’ rights, not weaken workers’ position,” North Sumatra Labour Party Chairperson Willy Agus Utomo emphasised in a speech.

The protesters also highlighted the need for adequate and affordable housing for workers and rejected the wave of mass layoffs both nationally and in North Sumatra. “If mass layoffs are unavoidable, the government must be present to protect workers’ rights and guarantee their livelihoods after losing their jobs,” he said.

Utomo’s remarks were made amid a continuing wave of mass layoffs that began last year. According to the Ministry of Labour website, 88,519 workers were laid off in 2025, while in 2024, it reported that 77,965 workers were laid off. In 2025, the highest number of layoffs occurred in labour-intensive sectors, with around 35 percent coming from the processing and manufacturing sector, followed by the services sector and then mining.

An Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo) survey in March 2025 found that 52.2 percent of companies experienced layoffs in the past year, and 67.1 percent said they had no plans to make new investments in the next year. Meanwhile, 49.7 percent of respondents saw a potential for employee layoffs in the coming year.

While employers like to blame this on “high wages”—workers’ incomes have actually stagnated or declined in relative terms, and Apindo admits that businesses are facing high production costs due to expensive logistics, higher raw material prices, the high costs of financing and permits, ever-changing government policies, as well as extortion and bribery that bring about unforeseen expenses.

Makassar

Liputan 6 reported that May Day in Makassar, South Sulawesi, presented two different faces of the workers’ struggle.

Hundreds of workers and students from the Makassar Democratic Struggle Alliance—made up of at least 18 labour and student organisations—rallied at the Makassar Flyover demanding the ratification of a new Labour Law, the repeal of the Jobs Law, and the elimination of outsourcing systems, which they called a form of “modern slavery.”

Alliance field coordinator Noval said workers still face various classic problems, ranging from termination of employment to failure to provide severance pay. “We have been asking for a pro-people Labour Law to be passed for several years, but to this day it has not been passed,” said Noval.

The protesters also highlighted the promise to eliminate outsourcing that was made by Prabowo on May Day last year. “Last year at Monas, he said he would eliminate outsourcing, but up until now, this practice is still rampant,” Noval said.

Meanwhile, the thousands of workers, farmers, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) employees gathered at a “May Day Fest 2026” organised by the Makassar municipal government and the South Sulawesi People’s Movement Coalition.

Coalition Coordinator Akhmad Rianto said that the May Day Fest was a breakthrough because it provided space for a more conducive and inclusive struggle. “We are not enemies, nor are we bullies. We are part of this nation that wants to participate in the development process,” he said.

Malang

In addition to speeches and demands, May Day in Malang, East Java, was enlivened by punk and hardcore musical performances from independent music collectives such as Hektar, Glich, DC Threat, and The Reackless, which transformed the streets into an open-air stage.

Musician Ciwen Ilusi said that this was not just for entertainment but was an expression of the state of public spaces, which are becoming increasingly restricted. “Friends from various collectives intentionally gathered for this occasion. We want to reclaim public spaces as venues for voicing aspirations,” Ilusi told Kompas.com.

United Awakened People’s Alliance field coordinator Zaki said that the music brought a fresh dynamic to this year’s demonstrations. “In addition to the speeches, we were also able to listen to music from our friends in the collective. This boosted our spirits during the action,” said Zaki.

Democratic space and civil liberties have been steadily eroded since Prabowo’s predecessor, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, took office in 2009, and this has accelerated under the Prabowo administration, with Freedom House rating Indonesia as only “partially free” in 2025.

The last two years have also seen a spike in the criminalisation of government critics and attacks on activists, with Amnesty International Indonesia recording that 295 human rights defenders were targeted in 2025—the most recent cases being an acid attack by soldiers from the Army’s Strategic Intelligence Agency on Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence activist Adrie Yunus.

Semarang

In Semarang, Detik Jateng reported that May Day protesters rallied at the Central Java governor’s office, bringing banners that read “abolish contract labour and outsourcing” and “fight union busting.” They also brought an effigy with a pig’s head and a human body wearing a black suit, tie, and white shirt, symbolising worsening corruption in the country.

Indonesia’s Corruption Perception Index dropped to 34 in 2025, down three points from the previous year, and was ranked 109 out of 180 countries according to Transparency International Indonesia.

“Long live the workers! We need to convey that we are taking up 11 national issues and four local issues. The most important thing for May Day today is to immediately ratify a [new] Labor Law in accordance with the Constitutional Court ruling 168 of 2023. [Which mandates that] the government must make a new law within two years. In 2026 in October, it must be passed, comrades,” said one of the speakers at the rally.

Surabaya

May Day in the East Java capital of Surabaya was also commemorated in two separate rallies, with the Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) and the Trade Union Movement (GESPER) alliance holding an action at the East Java governor’s office, while KASBI, university-based Student Executive Councils (BEM), and civil society groups held a protest at the East Java DPRD building.

KASBI representative Antoni Matondang explained that they held a separate action from labour groups at the governor’s office because, for them, May 1 is a moment to commemorate the struggle, not a celebration of joy in a situation where workers are still oppressed.

“We deliberately did not follow what the East Java provincial government or the government wanted to celebrate. In fact, in reality, we are not celebrating; we are commemorating. Because of what? Current labour conditions are still saddening, still ironic with arbitrary layoffs, especially outsourcing,” he told CNN Indonesia.

Matondang said they were demanding the immediate enactment of a new Labour Law, noting that the two-year time limit given by the Constitutional Court to produce a new law will end in 2026.

He also highlighted the chaotic nature of labour law enforcement in East Java. “So far, layoffs have been rampant. Why are they so rampant? Because when there is union busting, layoffs because of efficiency, there is no law enforcement in the East Java provincial office. Especially supervision. In East Java province, to this day, law enforcement has not been in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures,” he said.

KASBI and the students also called for the elimination of contract work systems, outsourcing, and exploitative partnerships, an end to mass layoffs and job security, a national living wage, and an end to the criminalisation and repression of the labour and people’s movement.

Although Indonesia’s official unemployment rate has fallen slightly this year, the share of formal employment has been shrinking, and workers’ average monthly wage is only 3.29 million rupiah (US$189) according to government data. Around 60 percent of the workforce is trapped in the informal sector with low wages and little job security, and over 30 percent are part-time workers. 

According to the Centre of Reform on Economics (CORE), Indonesia’s labour market is showing increasing signs of informalisation, with informal employment growing faster than formal jobs. “This is not a sign of healthy economic transformation, but rather an indication that many workers are stuck in low-productivity sectors due to limited formal job opportunities,” CORE researcher Yusuf Rendy told Tempo.

Rendy also noted that manufacturing activity remains under pressure, as reflected in the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, which has stayed in contraction territory. Many companies continue to cut costs and delay new hiring.

Yogyakarta

Workers and students in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta marked May Day with a “May of Resistance” rally in front of the Yogyakarta DPRD, prior to which they marched through the Malioboro shopping district carrying posters and banners with messages such as “Stop and Prevent Layoffs” and “Increase Workers’ Wages.”

May Resistance Alliance public relations officer Rival Umbu Djawa said that they are highlighting labour and education issues this year, noting that the average wage for formal workers in Yogyakarta province is around 3 million rupiah a month, while informal workers receive around 1 million. Djawa said that a decent living wage should be around 6 million rupiah.

The increasing cost of education was also taken up, especially with education budget cuts and funds being diverted to Prabowo’s pet Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program for school children—which has been characterised by almost daily reports of food poisoning and criticised by groups such as Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) as eroding education quality and mostly benefiting businesses affiliated with political parties and people close to power.

“The education budget, which should be around 20 percent of the state budget, around 750 trillion rupiah, turns out not all of it is allocated to education services. The largest amount is allocated to the National Nutrition Agency at around 223 trillion rupiah,” Djawa told the IDN Times.

Djawa added that using the MBG program to overcome stunting is not that simple because it is a structural problem caused by people’s low purchasing power.

Also attending the rally were representatives of the Gadjah Mada University trade union, who raised concerns over lecturer workloads and low wages, often forcing lecturers to have to work side jobs.

Lecturer and trade union member Primi Suharmadi also highlighted the MBG program, which he claimed has triggered budget cuts in the higher education sector. “The budget for a single day of MBG implementation, as much as 1 trillion rupiah, could actually fund 100 research projects for 100 lecturers for a full year”, he said.

Indonesian Trade Union Council (MPBI)  coordinator Irsyad Ade Irawan meanwhile said that they are taking up nine demands during the rally including the enactment of a new Labour Law, an end to outsourcing, low wages and mass layoffs, the abolition of taxes on workers’ allowances and benefits, genuine agrarian reform, the enactment of the long-delayed Asset Forfeiture Bill, the ratification of ILO Convention 190 on workplace violence and decent housing for workers.

Irawan also condemned the failure to implement menstrual leave policies, which many companies continue to ignore. “Although menstrual leave for female workers is guaranteed by law, the reality in the field shows contradictory facts,” he told Tempo.

West Papua

In West Papua, the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) marked May 1 by commemorating the 63rd anniversary of Papua’s incorporation into Indonesia on May 1, 1963. KNPB Chairperson Agus Kossay said that Papua’s integration was illegal because Indonesia came with a military force and forced the Papuan people to become part of the Indonesian state.

“Like the theme of the day, Indonesia mobilised its military forces and took over this land. Then the Papuans were forced by military force to become part of Indonesia. Indonesians say integration, but Papuans say annexation. But we declare that Indonesia in Papua is legally illegal,” Kossay was quoted as saying by Jubi Media.

Kossay noted that under international law, such a process requires the free consent of the people, a democratic and transparent process, and the supervision of an independent international body, none of which happened in the case of West Papua.

The KNPB also urged the government to stop sending military troops to Papua and called for security forces to be withdrawn from conflict-prone areas. Kossay said that recent operations by the TNI and the police in Papua are terror operations that have actually become instruments for killing civilians, burning down villages, and causing indigenous Papuans to become internally displaced on a massive scale.

“The operations carried out in Nduga, the Bintang Highlands, Intan Jaya, Maybrat, Yahukimo, Puncak Jaya, Puncak Papua, Timika, Fak-Fak, Paniai, and surrounding areas have killed hundreds of civilians, including women and children, and forced thousands of families to flee into the forest in conditions without access to food, health, and protection”, said Kossay.

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