INDONESIA: Labour rights and environmental defence in the firing line

Demands for economic rights and environmental defence came together in Indonesia, where mass protests mobilised throughout 2020 against labour law changes. The Indonesian government passed a huge legislative package with far-reaching implications, and with very little discussion. The so-called Job Creation Law, a wide-ranging omnibus law running to over 1,000 pages, was positioned as an initiative that would make it easier for Indonesia to attract foreign investment. The biggest package of legislative changes in Indonesia for decades, it removed many regulations on land acquisition and use and environmental regulations and wiped away many labour protections.