Masses of workers will demonstrate at the Merdeka Palace today. This mass action of workers took to the streets to reject the increase in the DKI Jakarta Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) in 2026 which was only IDR 5.7 million.
The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) together with the Labor Party stated that the action would be held for two consecutive days. A number of demands related to the UMP and sectoral wages were the main agenda in the demonstration.
KSPI President Said Iqbal said that the labor demonstration will take place today and tomorrow, December 30 2025. The action will be centered around the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta.
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“Tens of thousands of workers will demonstrate for two consecutive days, on 29 and 30 December 2025, at the State Palace, Jakarta,” Said Iqbal told reporters, Sunday (28/12/2025).
He said that around 1,000 workers took part in the action on the first day and the peak of the action on December 30 involved around 10 thousand motorbikes. KSPI confirmed that the action plan would only be carried out at the Merdeka Palace, not at the DPR Building.
Workers’ demands regarding UMP
KSPI rejects the determination of the 2026 DKI Jakarta UMP of IDR 5,729,876 per month. Said Iqbal assesses that this figure is lower than the minimum wage in Jakarta’s buffer areas such as Bekasi and Karawang, West Java.
“It doesn’t make sense if the cost of living in Jakarta is lower than Bekasi Regency, Bekasi City and Karawang Regency,” said Said. He highlighted the cost of renting a house in the Jakarta area, which according to him is much higher than in surrounding areas.
Said also said that Jakarta’s UMP value was still below the results of the Decent Living Needs Survey conducted by the Central Statistics Agency. According to him, KHL for workers who work and live in Jakarta is recorded at IDR 5.89 million per month. KSPI demands that the 2026 UMP be revised to be equivalent to this value and asks for an increase in the Provincial Sectoral Minimum Wage above the KHL.
DKI Provincial Government Invites Workers to Sit Together
Deputy Governor of Jakarta Rano Karno responded to the action plan by inviting KSPI to dialogue. He emphasized that the determination of the UMP had been through a Wage Council mechanism which involved elements of the government, workers and entrepreneurs.
“The UMP is a decision from the Wage Council. The Wage Council consists of tripartites. There is the regional government, there are workers, and there are entrepreneurs,” said Rano Karno at PAM Jaya Corporate Learning, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, Sunday (28/12/2025).
Rano said workers have the right to express their aspirations, including through demonstrations or legal channels.
“Will fellow workers demonstrate or protest? That goes back to rights. There is a mechanism, it could be Pertun, it could be PTUN,” he said.
He also mentioned the existence of subsidies from the DKI Provincial Government such as cheap transportation and basic necessities as part of efforts to improve workers’ welfare.
Responding to Deputy Governor Rano, KSPI ensured that the demonstration would continue as planned. Said Iqbal stated that his party was ready to sit down with the DKI Provincial Government, but this did not stop the demonstration agenda.
“We are ready to sit down together again to find a solution as stated by the Deputy Governor of DKI. It will continue (today’s demonstration),” said Said Iqbal.
Apart from mass action, KSPI also intends to take legal action by filing a lawsuit with the State Administrative Court regarding the determination of the 2026 DKI Jakarta UMP. This step is said to be part of efforts to fight for workers’ demands regarding minimum wages and sectoral wages.
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(wia/idn)
