INTERNATIONAL – Several hundred construction workers from the Indonesia Society of Steel Construction gathered peacefully on Tuesday morning at the headquarters of Directorate General of Customs and Excise in Jakarta to demand immediate government action to halt imports of construction steel. They say the influx of imported steel is harming local manufacturers and threatening jobs across Indonesia’s construction sector.
Arriving around 08:00 WIB, the demonstrators wore construction helmets and safety vests a deliberate symbol of their industry identity and carried banners reading “Stop Steel Imports – Protect Indonesian Builders” and “Local Steel for Local Workers.” The demonstration was conducted in an orderly fashion and did not disrupt traffic or the surrounding neighbourhood. In remarks to the press, the workers emphasised that the government’s import policy is undermining domestic production and reducing job security for locally employed laborers.
In speeches delivered during the action, union leaders asserted that Indonesian-made structural and construction steel can match the quality of imported products and argued that prioritising local steel would strengthen both employment and national industry resilience. One speaker stated: “We build this nation with our hands; yet we are being squeezed out by cheap imports.”
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The crux of the workers’ demand is for the government to tighten import controls and guarantee preference for domestically produced steel in public-sector contracts. They pointed out that rapid import growth has placed pressure on local firms, causing margin compression and increased risk of layoffs. The protesters warned that if nothing changes, Indonesian construction workers will continue to face insecure employment and industry decline.
This protest reflects wider concerns in Indonesia’s manufacturing sector about global competition and import dependence. A growing number of workers’ organisations are now highlighting how liberal import regimes can erode local value chains and diminish labour safeguards. In this case, the construction-steel industry serves as a focal point for debates about trade policy, industrial protection, job growth and economic sovereignty.
At this stage, no formal response from Customs or the Ministry of Trade has been publicly cited in connection with the protest. Observers note that for the workers’ demands to have effect, the government would need to review import tariffs, licensing for steel importers, public procurement guidelines and perhaps introduce incentives for local production. The use of a peaceful protest highlights the workers’ desire to engage constructively with policy makers rather than resort to confrontation.
The action at the Customs headquarters signals that labour groups are prepared to hold the government accountable for import policies that have tangible consequences for employment. As Indonesia continues to seek growth through infrastructure, balancing access to global supply chains with protection for local industry remains a contested terrain.
