Indonesian workers take to streets on May Day to demand jobs law abolition

Demonstrators march with flags and banners during a rally in Jakarta on May 1, 2024, commemorating International Workers’ Day. - AFP

JAKARTA: Thousands of protesters took to the streets on International Workers’ Day, or May Day, on Wednesday (May 1) to demand the repeal of the controversial Job Creation Law, which has been accused of undercutting a wide range of workers’ rights and protections

Some 50,000 workers reportedly participated in the Wednesday march in Jakarta, while thousands of others attended similar rallies in Bandung, West Java; Semarang, Central Java; Surabaya, East Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; as well as Aceh and Pekanbaru in Sumatra.