Indonesia mass strikes loom over cuts to environmental safeguards and workers' rights

New law to boost investment is a tragic miscalculation', campaigners say, as unions plan strike action in protest

Indonesia has passed a wide-ranging bill that will weaken environmental protections and workers' rights in an attempt to boost investment, a move condemned as a tragic miscalculation" that could lead to uncontrolled deforestation".

Groups representing millions of workers said they would strike on Tuesday in response to protest against the bill, which will amend about 1,200 provisions in 79 existing laws after it was pushed through parliament with unprecedented speed. Police said that a permit for the protest had not been approved, due to the coronavirus pandemic.