Jakarta, May 1, 2025 – Every May 1, millions of workers around the world commemorate International Labor Day, also known as May Day. This momentum has become an international day of remembrance to honor the struggle of workers in achieving their rights and welfare at work.
Quoting the official website of the Brawijaya University Library, the history of May Day began when a group of workers in the United States held an action to get shorter working hours, better pay, and safe workplace conditions. The action took place on May 1, 1886, in Chicago, United States.
However, the action led to repressive actions from the authorities and cost lives, causing four labor activists to be sentenced to prison and death because they were accused of being involved in acts of terrorism. This tragedy then became the starting point for the international labor movement in remembering the struggle of workers and demanding their rights in the work environment.
In 1889, the International Workers’ Congress held in Paris, France, declared May 1st as International Workers’ Day, or May Day. Since then, May Day has become a significant moment for workers around the world to raise their voices and demand their rights — including in Indonesia.
On May Day 2025, members of civil society from various labor sectors came together to organize demonstrations across several locations. In Jakarta, the May Day commemoration was centered in two main locations: Monas Field and in front of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) building.
At Monas, workers raised six key demands that reflect the current realities of the labor world. First, they called for a fair and decent increase in the minimum wage, aligned with the cost of a decent living (KHL), particularly amid the rising prices of basic necessities and the high cost of living in major cities. Second, they demanded the repeal of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation, which is seen as undermining workers’ rights, loosening outsourcing regulations, and weakening labor protections.
The third demand was the abolition of short-term contract systems and outsourcing practices, which are seen as placing workers in precarious positions without any security for the future. Fourth, the workers called for the expansion of social security and labor protections to cover all segments of the workforce — including those in the informal sector and the gig economy, such as ride-hailing drivers, couriers, and freelance workers — ensuring full access to employment and health insurance (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and BPJS Kesehatan), as well as legal protections.
Fifth, they demanded an end to mass layoffs, which have become increasingly common due to automation, corporate efficiency drives, and economic pressures. The government was urged to intervene and protect workers from arbitrary terminations. Lastly, the workers highlighted the need to strengthen protections for women workers and persons with disabilities, including the fulfillment of rights to menstrual and maternity leave, the provision of lactation rooms, protection from violence and harassment in the workplace, and guaranteed accessibility and equal employment protections for all.
Meanwhile, in front of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), the Labor Movement Alliance with the People (GEBRAK) staged a demonstration. They chose this location as a symbol of their deep dissatisfaction with the government and the legislature. The protestors called on the government to: first, halt the wave of mass layoffs; second, revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation No. 6/2023; third, guarantee job security by abolishing contract work systems, outsourcing, and deceptive partnership schemes targeting online drivers; fourth, realize free, scientific, and equitable education; fifth, promote honorary teachers and workers to permanent employee status with decent wages; and finally, reject a militaristic and authoritarian government.
This peaceful demonstration was not limited to Jakarta. Similar actions took place in cities like Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, and Makassar ranging from speeches and theatrical performances to the raising of organizational banners and labor union flags.
The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) revealed that dozens of people were arrested by the police during the International Workers’ Day demonstration on May 1, 2025. The arrests took place at several protest locations, including Banda Aceh, Bandung, Semarang, and Jakarta.
“We found that around 58 demonstrators were arbitrarily arrested by the police,” said a TAUD representative, Muhammad Yahya, during a press conference at the YLBHI Building, Central Jakarta, on Friday, May 9 (Tempo,2025).
Workers also brought powerful symbols of resistance: mock coffins representing the death of minimum wage, banners reading “Reject Mass Layoffs,” and satirical posters denouncing economic inequality. The protest was not only joined by industrial workers, but also by honorary teachers, contract health workers, media professionals, ride-hailing drivers, and other informal sector workers.
Enter Nusantara also took part in the May Day action in Jakarta, raising a crucial issue often left out of the conversation: climate and social justice as inseparable parts of the workers’ struggle. Their participation underscored that the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue, but also a matter of survival for workers, farmers, and the most vulnerable communities. May Day is not just a moment to fight for fair wages and decent work it is also the right moment to unite the labor and climate movements. Enter Nusantara demanded that the government stop promoting false solutions like greenwashing and dirty energy projects that harm Indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, and energy sector workers. This reminds us that the fight for labor rights, climate justice, and economic democracy is one and the same.
Yet rather than being protected, the safe space to voice these rights was once again seized by force. May Day 2025 which should have been a peaceful platform for workers and the people was once again marred by state repression in several regions of Indonesia. In Jakarta, as demonstrators under the GEBRAK alliance voiced their demands in front of the DPR building, they were met with intimidation from security forces. The forced dispersal of the crowd and the burning of tires were used as pretexts to shut down the protest. Police pushed back the masses, seized banners and equipment, and even detained and assaulted several peaceful protestors.
A similar situation unfolded in Bandung, where a peaceful demonstration by workers and students was met with violence. Security forces targeted individuals wearing black, labeling them as provocateurs without due investigation. Amid the chaos, the critical voice of the people was once again silenced with brute force.
Enter Nusantara strongly condemns all forms of violence against peaceful protestors. May Day is not a space for criminalization it is a space of resistance against injustice. The repression of people’s voices today is a stark reminder that the struggle is far from over. And Enter Nusantara will continue to speak out, until the people’s victory is fully realized.
