The Deputy Chairmen of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Saan\nMustopa and Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, met with members of the Great\nCoalition of Indonesian Labour Struggle who were protesting in front of\nthe DPR RI Building on Tuesday (29\/9).<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s representatives were received within the parliamentary\ncomplex, where they presented several aspirations. One labour\nrepresentative, Unang Sunarno, stated that the substance of the Labour\nProtection Bill currently being discussed in the DPR is not\nsignificantly different from the Job Creation Law.<\/p>\n
Among the demands presented by the workers was a request to limit the\ncontract work system. He described the current contract system as a form\nof slavery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe this contract work system is the root cause or the\nprecursor to the system of slavery existing in Indonesia, particularly\nfor our comrades in manufacturing, mining, plantations, transport,\ntourism, and so on. The number of permanent Indonesian workers is\ndecreasing day by day because of this contract system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He proposed that contract periods be limited to a maximum of one\nyear, with a maximum of two renewals. \u201cRegarding the duration, we see\nthat the draft in the DPR proposes a maximum of 4 years, and Apindo (the\nIndonesian Employers Association) proposes a maximum of 5 years. We from\nthe Great Coalition propose a maximum of only 1 year with 2\ncontracts,\u201d<\/p>\n
Another demand is to limit the practice of working through internship\nsystems. He noted that recently, many workers who have been victims of\nlayoffs have been working as interns in private companies or are being\nchannelled through private internship programmes. In his view, this\npractice constitutes exploitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it is essentially cheap labour through this internship system.\nPreviously, we knew the internship system was for students or university\nundergraduates. But now, it has expanded much further. Even the\ngovernment may be organising internships in certain companies or\nregions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In response, Deputy Chairman of the DPR, Cucun Ahmad, stated that the\nHouse will not stop engaging in dialogue with labour groups until the\nLabour Protection Bill is passed. One issue highlighted by Cucun was the\ninternship system.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, regarding internships, which have been exploiting the\nsystem as if seeking cheap labour. In these internships, there is no\nformal employment relationship, and we will also determine a time\nlimit,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/labour-unions-criticise-contract-work-as-slavery-and-highlight-internship-exploitation-1790675908", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }