Indonesian labor activist Raraa Rahmawati at the We the 99% People’s Summit, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 21, 2025. Photo: Sarah Anderson.

Electric vehicle sales are rising rapidly around the world. But few people who purchase these cars know anything about the workers who produce them.

Labor activist Raraa Rahmawati is trying to change that for one group of e-vehicle supply chain workers: the more than 230,000 Indonesians who toil in the nickel mining and processing industry. Recently, she reported on the reality of these workers’ lives at an international “People’s Summit” held parallel to the G20 leaders meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Indonesia boasts the world’s largest reserves of nickel, a key component of the lithium batteries that power electric vehicles. To capture more of the value of this essential mineral, the national government banned raw nickel exports in 2020. This has triggered a boom in domestic nickel processing.

Who’s benefiting most from this boom? The Chinese firm Tsingshan ranks as the top investor in........

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