Rahmat Fajar Nugraha, Jakarta – Nusantara Trade Union Confederation (KSPN) General Chairperson Ristadi has highlighted the many domestic factories that have closed down or gone bankrupt because the products they produce cannot compete with cheap illegal goods from abroad.
"Many these days and it's continuing, our manufacturing industries, from labour-intensive, even spreading to electronics, automotive, government, hotels, are carrying out many PHK (layoffs)", Ristadi told the media in relation to the KSPN's demands during a demonstration in the Horse Statue area of Central Jakarta on Sunday June 1.
"And even those that are strong, their factories are closed. Because their products are not selling well on our domestic market", he explained.
He explained why domestic goods are not selling. This is because the domestic market is increasingly dominated by foreign goods that are much cheaper. "Once again, there are strong indications that these foreign goods are coming through illegal channels", he explained.
Ristadi said that domestic businesspeople have stated that if goods from abroad entered legally then they could still compete.
"No matter how efficient our domestic industry is, if it competes with illegal imported goods, it will not be strong even until the end of the world. Therefore, we ask the government to eradicate illegal imports", he added.
Not only that, he also asked for the perpetrators of illegal importers to be punished. If this is not taken seriously, the practice will continue.
"We also believe that the government has known this for a long time. Whether this is intentional or is just allowed to happen. But the point is, we are asking for an eradication of illegal imports", he explained.
The following are the KSPN"s demands during the demonstration at the Horse Statue today:
1. Eradicate illegal import practices and punish the perpetrators.
2. Tighten import regulations to protect the sustainability of domestic industries, such as immediately revising Ministry of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 8/2024 as promised by President Prabowo Subianto during a national economics discussion forum.
3. Take anticipatory measures to prevent layoffs from spreading further and protect victims of layoffs so that they receive their rights in accordance with applicable regulations and can be re-absorbed into the workforce.
4. In general, implement policies that protect domestic industry while protecting workers who are still working and create new job opportunities for the Indonesian people who are still unemployed.
5. Increase supervision and law enforcement.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Demo Buruh KSPN di Kawasan Patung Kuda Ungkit Banyaknya Pabrik yang Tutup".]
