Surabaya – The commemoration of International Labour Day or May Day 2026 in the city of Surabaya, East Java, was divided on Friday May 1.
The mass of protesters was divided between the East Java governor's office on Jalan Pahlawan Surabaya and the East Java Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) building on Jalan Indrapura Surabaya.
Based on observations, the East Java Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) together with the large East Java Trade Union Movement (GESPER) alliance chose to hold an action at the governor's office.
Meanwhile, the East Java Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI), the Airlangga University Student Executive Council (BEM) and the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) in East Java and other civil society groups held a demonstration at the East Java DPRD building.
According to CNN Indonesia's monitoring, around a thousand people, a combination of KASBI members and students, joined the action in front of the East Java DPRD. They unfurled protest posters and banners, gave speeches and even sang. Interestingly, there were also some who playball and spinning tops or beyblades on the street.
As a result, Jalan Indrapura was completely closed and traffic was diverted to another route. Meanwhile, a barbed wire fence has been installed in front of the gate of the DPRD building.
One of the representatives of the East Java KASBI, Antoni Matondang, said that during their action they demanded that the government immediately pass a new Labour Law as a replacement for the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (UU Cipta Karja) which is considered legally flawed.
He also emphasised that the action at the DPRD was an effort to encourage regional parliaments to recommend accelerating revisions to labour regulations at the national level.
This is because the two year time limit given by the Constitutional Court (MK) to improve or separate the Draft Law on Labour (RUU Ketenagakerjaan) from the Job Creation Law will soon end in 2026.
"We are focused on articulating that up to this day the RUU on Labour has not been passed. Previously the RUU on Labour which was in accordance with the Constitutional Court's ruling was supposed to be completed within two years. 2026 is the deadline. So, we are encouraging the regions speaking out at the East Java DPRD commemorating May Day [to push] for the East Java DPRD and the East Java provincial government, now, to recommend that this RUU immediately become law", said Matondang on the sidelines of the action.
Apart from national issues, Matondang also highlighted the chaotic nature of labour law enforcement in East Java.
KASBI believes that the East Java Labour and Transmigration Office (Disnakertrans) is ineffective in monitoring the widespread unilateral layoffs (PHK) that hide behind reasons of company efficiency.
"So far, PHK have been rampant. Why are they so rampant? Because when there is union busting, PHK 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 SOP [standard operating procedures]," he said.
"SOP requires that within three months there is a decision on an inspection note for normative violations, but even after three months or even a year, no action is taken against the employers who violate it. That's why arbitrary layoffs are still happening in East Java", he added.
In relation to why the protesters chose to hold a separate action from the celebrations by other labour groups at the governor's office, Matondang explained that 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 PHK, especially outsourcing", he said.
The action was also attended by students from various campuses such as Airlangga University (Unair), the Indonusa Esa Unggul University (Unesa) and the East Java BEM SI group.
The BEM Unair President M Rizqi Senja Virawan stated that apart from supporting the workers' issues, the students also brought specific demands regarding free education and a rejection of the central government's discourse on closing study programs which were deemed irrelevant to industry.
"We agree with the demands of fellow workers, we are also taking up our own issues, demands. For example, we are now also speaking out for the realisation of free education. Then yesterday, Unair friends also agreed to reject the discourse at the Kemendikbud [Ministry of Education and Culture] to close several study programs which they said were irrelevant", said Virawan.
As of 4.30 pm the protesters were still demonstrating. They were met by a number of DPRD members but the audience and dialogue that took place in the middle of the crowd proceeded with difficulty.
The following are the main demands of East Java KASBI and students:
1. Revoke the Job Creation Law and implement a pro-worker Labour Law;
2. Eliminate contract work systems, outsourcing and partnerships;
3. Stop mass layoffs and guarantee job security;
4. Realise a national living wage system based on decent living needs;
5. Pass the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (PPRT);
6. Stop the criminalisation and repression of the labour and people's movement;
They also raised nine derivative demands including eliminating violence and discrimination against female workers, free and quality education and healthcare; improving the welfare of educators and health workers; implementing a stimulus package for workers; genuine agrarian reform and an end to land grabs and exploitation of natural resources; upholding civil supremacy and ending militarism, protecting civil liberties and human rights and the release all political prisoners; cancelling the recent trade agreement with the US and leaving the Board of Peace (BoP); promoting world peace and stopping the war!; that the East Java DPRD and the provincial government recommend the enactment of the new Labour Law this year; the enforcement of normative labour laws; and that employers who violate the law be punished by having their business permits revoked.
In the education sector they demanded that free education be made a reality at all levels, and rejected the government's discourse on closing study programs.
They made four economic demands including an end to modern slavery under the guise of apprenticeships and compulsory internships; an increase in the salaries of education staff; abolishing the free school meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperative programs; and the redistribution of the budget to regions related to agricultural products on the island of Madura, especially tobacco and oil and gas.
There were 16 demands related to politics and democracy including trying the perpetrators of the acid attack on activist Adrie Yunus in a public court; release and rehabilitate all political prisoners; stop militaristic violence in Papua; remove Indonesia from BoP membership; stop repression against journalists and realise press freedom; stop hunting civilians; guarantee protection and empowerment for creative workers; provide lactation rooms and guarantee job security for pregnant and breastfeeding women workers; stop the exploitation of health sector workers; reject the politicisation of the health budget; ensure access to contraception and reproductive health facilities in the work environment; revoke the Omnibus Law and implement a pro-worker Labour Law; eliminate contract work systems, outsourcing and partnerships; stop mass layoffs and guarantee job security; create a national living wage based on decent living needs; and stop the criminalisation and repression of the labour and people's movement.
On the environment they rejected the Surabaya Waterfront Land project, rejected converting protected forests into real estate in Tretes; demanded the full restoration of flood disaster areas in Sumatra; and end to the exploitation of nickel mines in Sulawesi; and end to deforestation and full protection for customary forests.
Finally, there were five gender-related demands including eliminating gender discrimination in job vacancies; eliminating discrimination against workers of various sexualities; reforming the anti-sexual violence task force in universities; and providing full rights to sexual violence victims.
[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "May Day di Surabaya Terpecah, Kasbi-Mahasiswa Pilih Aksi di DPRD Jatim".]
