Legal Protection of Workers’ Wage Rights from the Perspective of Labor Law in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the legal protection of workers’ wage rights from the perspective of labor law in Indonesia and to examine its implementation in employment relations practices. The study addresses the forms of legal protection available to workers and the challenges affecting the fulfillment of wage rights. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive analysis of the relationship between wage protection norms, law enforcement mechanisms, and the effectiveness of protecting workers’ wage rights following recent labor law reforms in Indonesia. This research employed a normative legal research method using statutory and conceptual approaches. Data were collected through a literature review of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials and analyzed qualitatively. The findings reveal that workers’ wage rights are protected through both preventive and repressive legal mechanisms, including minimum wage policies, wage structures and scales, labor supervision, and industrial dispute resolution procedures. However, the effectiveness of such protection remains constrained by low employer compliance, limited labor inspection capacity, and insufficient worker awareness of legal rights. Therefore, strengthening labor supervision, enhancing legal awareness, and improving law enforcement mechanisms are necessary to optimize the protection of workers’ wage rights. This study contributes to the development of labor law scholarship and provides policy recommendations for improving worker protection in Indonesia.