According to Indonesian media reports, on October 24, thousands of workers marched in Jakarta, Indonesia's old capital, demanding that the new government raise the minimum wage and repeal the Job Creation Law, and threatening to launch demonstrations across the country.

It is reported that the Jakarta police have deployed 1,270 joint personnel to ensure security for the event and have implemented traffic management near the workers' demonstration sites. But the chairman of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) said their core demands are to raise the minimum wage by 8% to 10% in 2025 and to repeal the relevant contents of the Job Creation Law, especially regarding the employment cluster and farmer protection.

It is said that over the past 2 years, labor wages have not risen or have only been below the inflation rate, so workers' purchasing power has continued to decline. The news that the new government will set the minimum wage below the inflation rate has exacerbated this situation, which is a very unfair move for workers, so hundreds of thousands of workers will take to the streets to ensure that their rights are defended and recognized.

Moreover, this demonstration is expected to last until October 31 and involve hundreds of thousands of workers and teachers across 38 provinces and more than 350 regencies/cities in Indonesia. According to demonstrators at the scene, if their demands are not met, they will continue to protest, demanding fair treatment and the protection of workers' rights.

The demonstration began in Jakarta, where thousands of workers gathered at Merdeka Square. It is said that the action will then spread to other regions, such as the Riau Islands in West Java. On October 25, demonstrations will be held in Surabaya, Medan, Makassar and other provincial capitals of several major provinces, and then in other regions, until October 31.

It is understood that this is not the first demonstration to break out over the Job Creation Law. In October 2020, Indonesia's parliament passed the Job Creation Law, which amended 79 labor laws involving 1,200 clauses, hoping thereby to accelerate the pace of economic reform and improve the investment environment to attract more foreign capital.

However, after the law was passed, labor unions and other organizations in Indonesia argued that the bill was too favorable to businesses and would harm workers' interests and the environment. This triggered protests, demonstrations and strikes across the country, with more than 2 million people taking to the streets, which eventually escalated into clashes between police and protesters. Demonstrators set fire to and damaged multiple buildings, public facilities and police posts, and more than 3,800 people were arrested during several days of unrest. At the same time, it brought considerable impact on many of the country's industries and its social economy.

At present, the country's coffee industry faces many difficulties. It had long been affected by severe weather, which led to a decline in coffee production, and coupled with rising domestic coffee consumption, coffee export volumes have been greatly reduced. Indonesia's total coffee bean production for the 2024/25 season is expected to be 10.9 million bags, but only half of the coffee beans will be used for export.

Now, because workers in many places are joining the marches, mostly in major provincial capital cities, many factories have halted production. This comes at a time when Indonesia is in the main coffee harvest season, but the shortage of workers and factory shutdowns are affecting the processing, production and delivery of coffee and other products. In addition, it is affecting domestic logistics and trade, causing some supply chains to be disrupted, and the Red Sea situation has driven up shipping prices, leading traders to reduce purchases of Asian coffee.

Although the demonstrations are currently relatively peaceful, if the government keeps refusing to respond, the situation could deteriorate or clashes could break out, which could then further affect many of the country's industries and its economic development.

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