Minister blames autonomy for increased labor abuses<\/p>\n
Ridwan Sijabat, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Labor conditions in Indonesia have not improved, partly due to
\nweak labor supervision following the poor implementation of
\nregional autonomy, says Minister of Manpower and Transmigration
\nJacob Nuwa Wea.<\/p>\n
The minister conceded that many companies are infringing on
\ncore labor standards and labor norms in employing workers.<\/p>\n
\"Companies are employing workers for around ten hours a day,
\nseven days a week, without any overtime pay or safety equipment,
\nwhat they are paid is below the minimum wage. Meanwhile,
\nemployers discriminate on the basis of gender and labor exporters
\nabuse workers even before they are sent overseas,\" he said when
\nswearing in Marudin Simanihuruk as director-general for labor
\nnorm supervision at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration
\nhere on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Nuwa Wea was referring to the recent report by U.S.-based
\nHuman Rights Watch on the rampant abuse of Indonesian migrants
\nduring both their recruitment and their employment in Malaysia.
\nThe Asian Labor Network on International Financial Institutions
\n(ALNI) has also found rampant labor abuse in a World Bank-
\nsponsored Bali infrastructure development project.<\/p>\n
The ALNI's research found that workers were working seven
\nhours to 10 hours a day, seven days a week, without the required
\nsafety equipment and social security insurance.<\/p>\n
Nuwa Wea said the manpower ministry could no longer directly
\nsupervise labor conditions in the field, as in line with regional
\nautonomy, which was implemented in 2000, labor conditions are
\nsupervised by regional administrations.<\/p>\n
\"The increasing number of labor strikes, disputes between
\nworkers and their employers and the infringement of core labor
\nstandards have been caused by weak supervision and the shortage
\nof supervising staff,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Regions have a total of 1,500 officers supervising around
\n14,000 companies nationwide. Moreover, only 900 of them are still
\neffective, as the remaining 600 have already been given other
\njobs, he said, citing that ideally a supervisor should supervise
\n25 companies, but currently the number of companies they had to
\nsupervise was 150.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Marudin said after the swearing-in ceremony, that
\nthe ministry had asked the President to again take up supervision
\nauthority in order to improve labor conditions at home.<\/p>\n
\"If regions are not able to assume supervision authority as
\nstipulated by Law No. 13\/2003 on labor, they should return it to
\nthe central government,\" he said, adding that many regions had
\nignored labor supervision in an attempt to attract as many
\nforeign investors as possible.<\/p>\n
He said his immediate tasks were to prepare supervision
\nguidelines for all supervisors, to recruit and train new
\nsupervisors and to improve the supervision of expatriates working
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Poor supervision has also been blamed for rampant violence
\nagainst Indonesian migrants employed overseas.<\/p>\n
A nongovernmental organization recorded that the number of
\nIndonesian workers killed during their employment overseas has
\nincreased from 21 in 2002 to 32 in 2003 and 20 from January to
\nMay, 2004, while the number of labor abuses has gone up from 87
\nin 2002 to 180 in 2003 and 120 from January to May 2004.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/minister-blames-autonomy-for-increased-labor-abuses-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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