Night club hostesses lack labor right<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): They may seem well dressed, joyful, friendly and
\nvery hospitable, and they may earn a lot, but night club
\nhostesses and other women working at the city's burgeoning night
\nentertainment places are among the least protected workers.<\/p>\n
A recent survey by the University of Indonesia on the
\ncondition of workers at 200 night clubs, massage parlors, karaoke
\nbars, discotheques, billiard centers and amusement centers found
\na stark contrast to the glitter of their working surroundings.<\/p>\n
In virtually all cases, the workers have weak bargaining
\npositions vis-a-vis their employers, according to the result of
\nthe survey which was discussed at a seminar on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"There is no clear working contract or clear salary scheme,\"
\nAslam Sumhudi, head of the survey team, told the seminar about
\none of the disadvantages of working at such places.<\/p>\n
Most of the workers are paid based on a percentage of what
\ntheir clients pay, and they earn nothing on the nights that they
\nhave no clients, he pointed out.<\/p>\n
About the only bargaining chips they have is that some of the
\nhostesses or dancers may become popular among patrons and if they
\nleave some clubs suffer, or even close down, Aslam said.<\/p>\n
Their weak position is partly attributed to the nature of
\ntheir profession, according to the researchers and experts taking
\npart in the debate.<\/p>\n
Because their profession is still looked down at by society,
\nthese workers never stay in one place for long, moving from one
\nclub to another, or even from one town to another, in order to
\nhide their profession from relatives and friends.<\/p>\n
For club owners, the high turnover of staff often works to
\ntheir advantage because they also need to keep reinvigorating
\ntheir staff with younger employees.<\/p>\n
\"Guests (also) prefer new and fresh hostesses,\" Sarlito W.
\nSarwono, a professor of psychology from the University, said.<\/p>\n
A representative of the Jakarta City Administration, however,
\ngave his assurances that the authorities would do all they can to
\nensure that these workers enjoy the same protection accorded to
\nother professions and workers.<\/p>\n
\"Workers in entertainment and recreation businesses are
\nentitled to similar protection, including on minimum wages,\"
\nGindo S. Sitorus, the head of the Social Bureau said.<\/p>\n
The survey found that, overall, the welfare of these workers
\nlags behind not only that of workers in other professions, but
\nalso behind the standard set by the City Administration. Although
\ntheir salaries, averaging Rp 150,000 a month, is relatively
\nhigher, they do not get any perks.<\/p>\n
Sarlito said one of the difficulties for the authorities in
\nhandling these workers is because many of them try to hide their
\nprofession. \"Most of these women are villagers and they lie to
\ntheir families back home about their jobs, sometimes saying they
\nwork as shopkeepers,\" Sarlito said.<\/p>\n
The research recommends a number of steps for the city
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
One is to increase surveillance of the entertainment spots,
\nanother to make the workers aware of their legal rights and
\nanother recommends punishing employers that continue to deny
\ntheir employees their rights. (yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/night-club-hostesses-lack-labor-right-1447893297",
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