Indonesian journos struggle with low pay, job insecurity
Journalists in Indonesia continue to grapple with low pay, insecure employment, and mounting job losses, a new survey revealed on International Workers' Day.
A nationwide study by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), based on responses from over 2,000 journalists, found that the majority are paid below industry standards and lack permanent contracts.
AJI chairperson Nany Afrida said the situation...
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The Star
04-05-2025
- The Star
Indonesian businesses fear new layoff task force could lead to criminalisation
Employees of a garment company woring in a factory in Central Java, in this undated photo. - Central Java Regional Government JAKARTA: Businesses are wary that President Prabowo Subianto's plan to form a special task force on layoffs could lead to the criminalisation of employers rather than preventing mass job cuts. The Indonesian Textile Association (API) insists that the task force, meant to resolve labour disputes and reduce terminations, must not stray from its preventive mission. 'It's a worrying idea for any labour-intensive industry player,' API executive director Danang Girindrawardana said on Thursday (May 1), as quoted by Bisnis. 'If it turns into a tool for criminalising employers, it will scare businesses away from operating or expanding.' The task force could risk veering off from its original purpose as a conflict resolution tool and instead become a vehicle for financial audits that might punish businesses rather than assist them, he warned. Rather than duplicating existing labor frameworks, which were already governed by tripartite consultations involving the government, workers and employers, he said the task force should complement what was in place. 'There is no business without workers, and no workers without businesses. The two must understand and respect one another,' Danang said, while acknowledging that industrial relations were not always smooth. He pointed to mass layoffs at footwear company PT Yihong, which was triggered by a small worker dispute that escalated into a full strike. Other cases of layoff, he said, were due to financial losses on the company's part, such as those seen in bankruptcy proceedings at Yamaha-owned piano factories and PT Sri Rejeki Isman, better known as Sritex. Prabowo pledged on Thursday to improve workers' welfare and promote stronger labour protections amid dissatisfaction over labour conditions and concerns of more job losses as he addressed hundreds of thousands of workers rallying at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta to mark International Workers' Day, or May Day. Amid mounting dissatisfaction over labour conditions and fears of further job cuts, Prabowo promised to form a layoff task force that will prevent arbitrary dismissals of employees and ensure companies adhere to fair labour practices, as demanded by the workers attending the May Day rally. He also unveiled a plan to establish the National Workers Welfare Council, a new body which would include labour union leaders and public figures tasked with evaluating existing labour laws and proposing reforms to the President to protect workers' rights. 'We will not allow people, workers, to be laid off arbitrarily. If necessary, the state must not hesitate to intervene,' said Prabowo in a fiery speech. His remarks came amid growing discontent over labour conditions and a wave of job cuts across multiple industries. Some 60,000 workers from 50 unionised companies lost their jobs in January and February alone, based on the report from the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI). This figure nearly matched the total number of layoffs for all of 2024. Manpower Ministry figures seen by The Jakarta Post show 77,965 layoffs for all of 2024, up from 64,855 in 2023 and 25,114 workers in 2022. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Malaysiakini
02-05-2025
- Malaysiakini
Indonesian journos struggle with low pay, job insecurity
Journalists in Indonesia continue to grapple with low pay, insecure employment, and mounting job losses, a new survey revealed on International Workers' Day. A nationwide study by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), based on responses from over 2,000 journalists, found that the majority are paid below industry standards and lack permanent contracts. AJI chairperson Nany Afrida said the situation...
The Star
01-05-2025
- The Star
Tariff wars by global far-right pose threat to workers, says South African minister
CAPE TOWN, May 1 (Xinhua) -- In a world marked by deepening inequality, tariff wars are among the tactics used by the global far right to undermine workers and threaten jobs, a senior South African official warned on Thursday. Nomakhosazana Meth, minister of employment and labor, made the remarks while addressing the crowd at the May Day rally held at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town to mark International Workers' Day. "The extreme right is on the ascent in the United States and many other countries, and among their first actions is to attack workers. The manifestation itself is the tariffs, tariff wars that will impact workers in the market," Meth said in her speech. On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a set of sweeping tariffs, which he referred to as "reciprocal tariffs," including a 31 percent tariff on imports from South Africa. Despite the dreary weather, hundreds gathered for the annual May Day rally, highlighting the ongoing struggles faced by workers and the poor in South Africa. The rally, held each year on International Workers' Day, was organized by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the country's largest trade union federation. Meth said that while many legislative victories have been achieved, enshrining the rights of workers and borne from the struggle of workers, the fight is far from over. "We are living in a time when workers are once again being subjected to a new and evolving form of exploitation. The barriers shifted, but they remain as fierce, as relevant as ever. While we have made progress, the challenges before us are formidable," she said. Meth noted this May Day is taking place in a world full of uncertainty and mounting threats to the working class. "Our world is more unequal than ever, with only one percent of individuals and companies owning as much as 95 percent of the global wealth," she said. The minister specifically noted that youth unemployment remains alarmingly high in South Africa. "Young people are the lifeblood of our workplace, yet they are being abandoned by a system that has failed to create enough jobs for them," said Meth. "That is why the government has made employment creation the pillar of our policies and actions, including the creation of 1.5 million work opportunities." Meth went on to say that the automation of jobs is threatening to displace workers on a massive scale, and that while technology could bring enormous benefits, it also has the potential to leave millions of workers behind. She added that climate change has also had a devastating effect on jobs and threatens to disrupt entire industries. "Workers in agriculture, energy, and mining are already feeling the effects of this global crisis. The call for a just transition is louder than ever. We need an economic transformation that does not leave workers behind in the fight against climate change," she said.
