The Labour Party () was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It was formed on 25 December 1949 by a group of former Labour Party of Indonesia (PBI) members, who had disagreed with the merger of PBI into the Communist Party of Indonesia.Rose, Saul. ''Socialism in Southern Asia''. London: Oxford University Press, 1959. p. 153Feith, Herbert.
The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia
'. An Equinox classic Indonesia book. Jakarta .a. Equinox, 2007. pp. 144-145
Ensiklopedi umum
'. Yogyakarta: Yayasan Kanisius, 1977. pp. 435, 790 The party had a degree of influence, as it counted on support from

trade unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and had influence inside the Ministry of Labour. Iskandar Tedjasukmana was the Chairman of the Political Bureau of the party between 1951 and 1956. Iskandar Tedjasukmana represented the party in government, serving as Minister of Labour in the Sukiman, Wilopo and Burhanuddin Harahap cabinets (1951–1956). The party was officially

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

, but in political practice more influenced by

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

. Inside the party leadership, there was a division between those who supported the 'oppositionist' positions of the Indonesian National Party and Murba Party, and another sector of intellectuals who were closer to the Socialist Party of Indonesia.Feith, Herbert.
The Wilopo Cabinet, 1952-1953: A Turning Point in Post-Revolutionary Indonesia
'. Ithaca, N.Y.: Modern Indonesia Project, Southeast Asia Program, Dept. of Far Eastern Studies, Cornell University, 1958. pp. 70-71 When the People's Representative Council (DPR) was formed in 1950, seven of its 236 members belonged to the Labour Party. As of 1951, the Labour Party claimed to have 60,000 members. In March 1951, the party was one of eleven parties that formed the Consultative Body of Political Parties (BPP). In 1952 trade unionists linked to the Labour Party founded the Himpunan Serikat-Serikat Buruh Indonesia trade union centre. The president of HISSBI A.M. Fatah was a Labour Party member.Tedjasukmana, Iskandar.
Watak Politik Gerakan Serikat Buruh Indonesia
' The party obtained 224,167 votes in the 1955 legislative election (0.6% of the national vote), and won two seats in the parliament.Feith, Herbert.
The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia
'. An Equinox classic Indonesia book. Jakarta .a. Equinox, 2007. p. 435 After the election the party joined the Fraction of Upholders of the Proclamation, a heterogenous parliamentary group with ten MPs.Feith, Herbert.
The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia
'. An Equinox classic Indonesia book. Jakarta .a. Equinox, 2007. p. 472

References

{{Former Indonesian political parties 1949 establishments in Indonesia 1956 disestablishments in Indonesia Defunct political parties in Indonesia Defunct socialist parties in Asia Labour parties Political parties disestablished in 1956 Political parties established in 1949 Socialist parties in Indonesia