Why Go-Jek drivers demonstrated in Jakarta today (Update: management responds)

Go-Jek, Indonesia’s most prominent on-demand transportation startup, made headlines at the beginning of this month when some drivers turned to the press. They were disappointed that Go-Jek’s management made changes to the way drivers are compensated, seemingly overnight.

“We were notified on Sunday, November 1, and [the changes] immediately went into effect by Monday [November 2], we weren’t given the chance to say our opinion,” a driver called Dika told Viva News (link in Indonesian).

The price went down from IDR 4,000 [US$0.29] to IDR 3,000 [US$0.21] per kilometer, a driver called Ope told Kompas (link in Indonesian).

Some drivers threatened to organize a strike, though it seems that strike never occurred on a large scale. When Nadiem Makarim, Go-Jek’s founder went on stage during the Tech in Asia Jakarta conference last week, he pointed out that only a few drivers were disgruntled by the changes and tried to instigate a boycott, but that most drivers accepted the decision and continued business as usual.

See: If you work at Go-Jek, Nadiem Makarim is your coach, sugar daddy, and friend

But this weekend, drivers once again turned to the media with new complaints about Go-Jek’s management decisions. According to Kompas, drivers are upset because of a IDR 40,000 [US$2.92] price cut taken from each of them, supposedly to cover for the helmet, jacket, and other items they are equipped with.

Image source: Kompas

This was not part of the agreement, Go-Jek driver Fitrijansjah Toisutta, told Kompas. Fitrijansjah said at least 200 drivers were planning to strike and demonstrate in front of the Go-Jek headquarters and the ministry of manpower. The action was planned for November 16, 18, and 20.

Indeed it seems there was a small demonstration at Go-Jek’s offices today, albeit attended only by a few dozen drivers, not hundreds.

According to the report, the demonstrators were invited inside the headquarters for a meeting behind closed doors. The outcome of the meeting has not yet been made public.

Tech in Asia has reached out to Go-Jek for comment.

(Update 16/Nov/2015, 3:15pm: Go-Jek’s management has reached out to Tech in Asia saying the IDR 40,000 [US$2.92] deduction some drivers experienced did not correspond to a fee for helmets or other attributes. The amount subtracted was for a smartphone instalment, which instead of being subtracted over the course of several days, was taken in one chunk due to “a glitch in the system,” according to Go-Jek.  The company also said it gave drivers a 24-hour notice about this deduction. Go-Jek also explained only 15 people protested this morning, and that the situation has been resolved.)