Jakarta — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the formation of the National Layoff Task Force (Satgas PHK Nasional) during his speech at the International Labor Day rally held at Jakarta’s National Monument (Monas) on Thursday (May 1).

The task force is a direct government response to growing concerns from workers about unfair and arbitrary layoffs, which many labor unions have deemed increasingly common.

Prabowo made the announcement before a massive crowd of workers gathered at Monas, joined by national labor confederation leaders and union representatives from across the country.

“Following suggestions from labor leaders, including Mr. Said Iqbal and Mr. Jumhur, we will immediately establish a Layoff Task Force. We will not allow our people—our workers—to be laid off arbitrarily. If necessary, the state will step in without hesitation,” Prabowo declared, met with loud cheers from the crowd.

He emphasized that the government must not allow continued imbalances in labor relations. The Layoff Task Force will be responsible for investigating unilateral termination cases and pursuing fair, labor-friendly solutions, while maintaining a healthy business climate.

The initiative is part of the administration’s broader commitment to reinforcing industrial justice and securing a decent living for all workers.

Prabowo also announced the creation of a National Workers’ Welfare Council on the same occasion, aimed at strengthening collaboration between the government and the labor community.

Looking ahead, the President revealed plans to convene 150 labor leaders and 150 top business executives in a national dialogue forum to foster mutual understanding between the workforce and corporate sector.

“We will sit together. No one should aim to grow wealthy alone without lifting the lives of workers. But the state is not standing idly by. We’ve been working hard—providing health care, electricity subsidies, direct cash assistance. We’ve disbursed over 500 trillion rupiah in support. But we must ensure this assistance is truly well-targeted,” Prabowo said.