Energy unions in Indonesia, together with Public Services International (PSI), have released a revised edition of their position paper titled "Article 33 Scenario: Towards a Public Approach for a Just Energy Transition in Indonesia's Electricity Sector." This revision represents more than a technical update—it is a critical reflection on how national and global energy policy directions are increasingly diverging from constitutional mandates and the public interest. It provides a powerful critique of the work by Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), led by the International Partners Group, which reflects the well known anti-worker strategies encouraged by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

This document is a trade union position paper on energy transition as it applies to Indonesia’s electricity system.

Unions in Indonesia acknowledge the serious threat posed by climate change and the need for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to be dramatically reduced. However, we firmly believe that the policies proposed for Indonesia will not deliver a just energy transition or reduce power sector emissions. On the contrary, proposals like the JETP will, if implemented, encourage more coal use in Indonesia, not less. Furthermore, the policy is socially regressive, economically unviable, and politically reckless.

The principal goal of this position paper is to present the outlines of an alternative policy framework. We call this framework the public pathway or, in Indonesia’s case, the Article 33 Scenario. We believe Article 33 of the Republic’s Constitution—which proclaims that “The branches of production which are important to the state and which control the livelihood of the people shall be controlled by the state”—is essential to the country’s energy future; it is not, as is sometimes suggested, a relic from the past. As we explain below, the Article 33 Scenario consists of a series of potential steps that, if taken, could begin to deliver a just energy transition in Indonesia, one that is anchored in public investment and the expansion of public assets within a framework of energy sovereignty, policy independence, and progressive internationalism.