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President Joko Widodo issued the emergency decree last month,
replacing a controversial jobs law in Southeast Asia's largest
economy, a move some legal experts say violated a court ruling.
The Constitutional Court had ruled the 2020 Jobs Creation Law
was flawed, saying there had been insufficient public
consultation before the law was passed. It ordered lawmakers to
complete a renewed process by November.
Protester Damar Panca Mulia, 38, called the decree a government
ploy to ensure the implementation of the job law.
"This regulation degrades worker's welfare, reduces labour
protections and causes widespread damage - on agrarian issues,
the environment, protection of women," he said. "Job creation
should be in line with workers' welfare improvement, but this
decree runs counter to it. That's why we oppose it."
Protesters held a banner saying "Say no to outsourcing", while
others had signs reading, "Refuse job creation emergency decree
because there is no emergency situation".
Joko Heriono, 59, said the regulation created uncertainty for
workers as they could easily be fired and would get lower
severance pay.
Labour party chairman Said Iqbal said outsourcing and minimum
wage regulation in the decree were among the issues of concern.
"We don't want the state to become only an agent for dirty
entrepreneurs to weaken workers' welfare," Said told reporters.
The Jobs Creation Law, revising more than 70 other laws, had
been welcomed by foreign investors for cutting red tape.
Parliament will assess the legal standing of the decree in the
current sitting, its deputy speaker said this week. Last week, a
group of Indonesians asked the Constitutional Court to carry out
a judicial review of the regulation.
(Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe; Editing by William
Mallard)
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