THE DYNAMICS OF

LABORS’ COVERAGE IN

INDONESIA

REPORTS FROM IMMC’S MEDIA MONITORING

RESULTS

27 April 2011 – 27 April 2012

www.immcnews.com

@Immcnews

Background • Labor’s Day or so-called May Day celebrated annually on May 1, always become the

moment to prospering all labors.

• In Indonesia, it is marked by a series of large scale protest by the workers, with various

agenda, such as demanding the government to remove outsourcing, granting social

security, as well as demanding a better wages.

• Beyond all those racket on Labor’s Day, issues related to workers over the last year is

worth observing. The existence of large scale protest, demanding for raising UMK and

marked by highway blockade in Jakarta has become the most attention drawing matter.

In addition, the ratification about international convention on the Protection of the Rights

of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families are expected to become a strong

legal framework for the government to further protect it’s citizens who work abroad.

• Media monitoring conducted by IMMC on labor’s issues was made to welcome the

commemoration of Labor’s Day as an effort to capture the dynamics of labor unions in

the last year alone.

• Study are conducted by using purposive sampling method on

the well known online media, specifically detik.com,

okezone.com and rakyatmerdekaonline.com.

• Data collection was conducted from 27 April 2011 – 27 April

2012.

• Data collection techniques used are collect, categorize and

analyze all coverage (content analysis) about labor issues.

METHODS

Total Coverage

Media Total

Detik.com 321

Rakyatmerdekaonline.com 263

Okezone 313

Total 897

Dynamic

Issues

0

50

100

150

200

250 • Coverage about workers in January

2012 are rapidly increasing due to

protest from Bekasi, Tangerang

workers that demanded a raise for

UMK by blocking the highway.

• In February and March 2012, workers

held another protest against fuel price

raising.

• In April 2012, labor issues that arise

were May Day issues, Migrant

Workers (TKI and organ trade),

housing for workers and legalization of

migrant workers protection law.

News Placement

Detik.com Rakyat Merdeka Oke Zone

319

109

313

2

154

In Title In News

• Labor issues in Detik.com and Oke

Zone are heavily covered as the main

focus in their coverage.

• Meanwhile, at Rakyat Merdeka, news

placement on labor issues are usually

placed on other topics.

News Tone

Posistif Netral Negatif

113 84

125

40

161 63 35

165

112

Detik.com Rakyat Merdeka Oke Zone • Mostly, the media always covered

everything about labors in neutral tone.

But, in comparison from positive to

negative tone, most of them are negative.

• The reason media sees the labors’ protest

in negative way is because how most of

them act in the protest, which usually

deviate from rules and harming others’

interest. Language usage in the coverage

tends to be provocative towards those

acts, further strengthen the fact that

labor’s act left a negative impression on

society.

Top 10 Labor Issues

522

266

116 116

62 49 36 32 30 27

• Issues about labor’s protest have received the biggest spotlight throughout the past year in as many as 522 coverage.

• Other issues related when they try to delivered the messages are demanding in wage increase in 266 coverage, about workers welfare in 116 coverage, refusal for increasing fuel price in 116 coverage and about outsourcing in 27 coverage.

• As for issues about labor mediation were about 62 coverage, about BPJS in 49 coverage, related to the role of Parliament in 36 coverage, talking about labor rights in 32 coverage and treatment to workers (talking about violence against worker) in as much as 30 coverage.

Top 10 Labor Issues (Detik)

Demo Buruh

Upah Buruh

Penolakan Kenaikan BBM

Mediasi buruh

Outsorcing

Kesejahteraan Buruh

Hak Buruh

Perlakuan Buruh

Buruh Migran

Rumah Buruh

231

112

79

24

18

13

13

12

5

5

• Labor issues that are mostly covered by

Detik.com are about labors’ protest.

• Evidently, issues about outsourcing and

facilities for workers like home for labors

are the most highlighted news by

Detik.com.

Top 10 Labor Issues (RM)

Demo Buruh

Kesejahteraan Buruh

BPJS

Upah Buruh

Peran DPR (Perjuangan Buruh)

Regulasi Buruh

Mediasi buruh

Hak Buruh

Perlakuan Buruh

Serikat Buruh

97

54

42

31

27

17

12

10

10

5

• Rakyat Merdeka also covered a lot

about labors’ protest.

• Issues about regulation and policies

related to labors are also reported quite

often by Rakyat Merdeka.

• Rakyat Merdeka also covered a lot

about Parliaments’ role in defending

labors’ rights.

Top 10 Labor Issues (Okezone)

Demo Buruh

Upah Buruh

Kesejahteraan Buruh

Penolakan Kenaikan BBM

Mediasi buruh

Buruh Migran

Kecelakaan Kerja

Hak Buruh

Serikat Buruh

Kesehatan Buruh

194

123

49

34

26

11

11

9

9

9

• Labors’ protest are the mostly covered

issues by Oke Zone.

• Other issues are about labors’ rights like

wages, welfare and labors’ health.

• Oke Zone are usually more intense in

paying attention about migrant workers

and labor mediation if compared to other

medias.

Protest Location

DKI

Jabar

Banten

Jatim

Sumatra

dll

Jateng

Sulawesi

171

143

106

47

24

22

6

3

• The most covered for issues about

labors’ protest are in Java like Jakarta,

West Java, Banten and North Java.

• Media’s exposed against protest outside

Java are still low. Nonetheless,

domination of these three regions as an

industrial area (Jakarta, West Java and

Banten) has turned the region into a

running wheel for labors protest in

Indonesia.

Labors Protest Pattern

Blokade Fas. Umum

Ke Kantor Pmrth / DPR/ DPRD

Turun Ke jalan/ aksi damai

Rusuh/ Ricuh/ Anarkis

Penertiban Oleh Aparat

Sweeping

Mogok kerja/makan

Segel

164

153

52

46

45

20

16

9

• Pattern for labors’ protest by blockading

public facilities has become a new trend

for all labors to expressed their

aspiration rather than visiting the

Government, Parliament / Council or

other strategic locations.

• Peaceful protest are considered less

effective in expressing their aspirations

and it’s very rare to see labors’ protest in

a peaceful manner. On the other hand,

this proved to be very ‘effective’ for the

workers, but was considered as a threat

to the investors and security stability.

Demands in Labors’ Protest

Upah Buruh

Penolakan Kenaikan BBM

Kesejahteraan Buruh

Outsorcing

Mediasi buruh

Regulasi Buruh

Hak Buruh

BPJS

Perlakuan Buruh

Lain-lain

182

97

74

23

19

12

11

10

9

7

• The most demanded from labors are

about wages and welfare. This suggest

that worker’s wage that guarantees their

welfare are still low.

• Refusing for increasing fuel price are also

demanded in their protest, that is when

there is a plan from the government to

raise the fuel price. All workers

considered that the increasing fuel price

can keep them away from welfare due to

increasing prices and threat of getting

fired.

• Until now, rejection for outsourcing is still

frequently expressed by the workers in

the protest, because it is considered

harmful for the labors.

THANK YOU