Jakarta (ANTARA) - Workers' issues will become one of main focuses for next year's political agendas, ranging from legislative election, regional leader election, and also the presidential election, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

"We see that 2024, with many elections, such as the presidential election, legislative election, and regional leader election, labor issues may make their way into the political realm," Head of the Social and Humanities Research Organization at BRIN Ahmad Najib Burhani stated at the 2023 Workers' Day webinar, accessed here on Thursday.

He remarked that the workers' struggles had become a universal language employed across the world, including in Indonesia. Workers' struggles had lasted for decades and shaped the social and political history in a significant way.

Currently, workers in Indonesia still fight for better fulfilment of their rights, including the rights to better pay, safe workspace, and health, as well as the rights to form unions, the researcher pointed out.

"We too have to fight for the rights of migrant workers, informal workers, and female workers, which are often dismissed and do not get enough protection," Burhani noted.

The BRIN will always actively offer its perspective on the workers' struggles by conducting researches and informing others of the challenges faced by workers and labor unions in Indonesia, he highlighted.

He also noted that in the Population Research Center at BRIN, there is a group of researchers for manpower and industrial support that routinely host activities pertaining to laborer issues.

Burhani stated that the ecosystem can work with anyone, whether it is the workers’ unions, government, business associates, and other organizations, to fight for better working conditions and the fulfillment of the rights of workers.

"I expect that the spirit to fight always remains alive in all hearts, to fight for better workers' rights in the future. I compel everyone to work together and improve solidarity and unity among each other," he said. Related news: G20 EWG endorses manpower issues raised by Indonesia
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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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