Layoff Task Force Protects Workers’ Rights Amidst Threat of Layoffs
Jakarta – The government moved quickly when the threat of layoffs began to shake the industrial sector and create anxiety among workers due to fluctuations in the global economy.
The launch of the Layoff Task Force (Satgas PHK) on May 1, 2025 is clear evidence that the state is present to protect workers’ rights amidst the storm of corporate efficiency and global economic pressures.
President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that the PHK Task Force will be the vanguard in maintaining national employment stability. This task force is designed not only to handle the impact of layoffs, but also to be a bridge connecting affected workers with new job opportunities.
“I think the form of the PHK Task Force, immediately involve the government, involve labor unions, involve the academic world, involve rectors, involve BPJS (Employment), and so on. One Task Force, we anticipate,” said President Prabowo.
This task force will carry out strategic functions, starting from recording and monitoring companies that have the potential to lay off workers, ensuring the fulfillment of workers’ rights such as severance pay and social security, to being involved in mediation, retraining (reskilling), and distributing workers to potential sectors that are still developing.
Director General of Industrial Relations and Social Security for Workers, Indah Anggoro Putri, said that the PHK Task Force was designed as a proactive cross-sector effort in dealing with the threat of layoffs.
“We, the task force, together across ministries/institutions and stakeholders, are trying to mitigate layoffs and expand employment opportunities,” said Indah.
This step has received broad support from various labor union confederations such as KSPI and KSBSI, which from the beginning have encouraged the formation of the Task Force as a form of concrete protection for workers. They hope that the Task Force will not only be reactive, but also be able to anticipate potential labor crises early on.
Similar support came from the Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), Bhima Yudhistira, who called the formation of the PHK Task Force a positive step.
“In my opinion, the PHK Task Force that the President is discussing is expected to have at least six main tasks,” said Bhima.
With the launch of the PHK Task Force coinciding with International Labor Day, it is hoped that this initiative will be an important turning point in strengthening labor protection and preventing the domino effect of a future PHK crisis. [^]
