Jokowi’s Jobs Law Faces Legal Review as Unions Continue Protest
Jokowi’s Jobs Law Faces Legal Review as Unions Continue Protest
(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia’s omnibus law is set to face a judicial review sought by a labor union after President Joko Widodo signed the bill into law.
The union filed a suit at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday morning to seek the review, Said Iqbal, president of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation, said in a statement. The union also plans to continue holding non-violent protests and strikes, he added.
The law was meant to cut red tape and simplify labor rules to boost investment in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, which is set for its first annual contraction in more than two decades. The bill has sparked continued opposition since it was unveiled last year. Students, labor unions and activists have protested against reduced minimum severance pay, less legal protection for contract workers as well as changes to environmental permit processes.
Jokowi, as Widodo is known, has said that he welcomes a judicial review on the law. He has defended the bill by saying it will serve workers’ rights and create as many jobs as possible for millions of Indonesians who are currently unemployed.
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