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LBH Pers also received more reports as the House of Representatives passed the job creation
bill into law on Oct. 5.
On Monday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo eventually signed the law, which is aimed at
boosting national economic recovery through significant adjustments to labor rules and business
licensing processes.

“We have received at least 15 more reports since [the law was passed],” LBH Pers director Ade
Wahyudin said on Wednesday.

Critics said the Job Creation Law would threaten Indonesian press freedom, as they fear the law
will make it easier for media companies to lay off their workers or treat them unfairly.

The media industry has been hit hard by economic hardships amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has received a number of reports of media companies
that have cut wages, delayed salary payments and laid off employees.

In addition, at least 242 journalists have tested positive for COVID-19, according to AJI data
from March to September.

In August, The Jakarta Post also announced that it would lay off two-thirds of its employees in
a bid to reduce costs and ease financial hardship.

On Oct. 12, the Post’s management encouraged employees to resign by offering a severance
package for those who could no longer stand the uncertainty and wished to leave. This resulted
in more than 20 employees leaving the newsroom.

The International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) has urged the government
to financially aid media companies in order to help them survive the crisis.

“INFID urges the Manpower Minister to make a maximum effort to help media workers by using
[a] COVID-19 financial scheme provided by the government,” the letter states. Sent to Manpower
Minister Ida Fauziyah on Tuesday, the letter also addressed the potential of mass layoffs among
journalists at the

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