Skepticism greets manpower minister<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Employers and unions have voiced early doubts about whether newly
\nappointed Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris
\nwill be able to improve the country's poor labor conditions and
\nrelations.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) secretary general
\nDjimanto said being an employer would make it difficult for Fahmi
\nto deal with labor disputes.<\/p>\n
But Djimanto said it would be unfair to criticize Fahmi at the
\nstart of his five-year tenure.<\/p>\n
\"It is wise to give the new minister the first 100 days to
\nlearn about the urgent and key issues and to set his own
\nprograms,\" he told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.<\/p>\n
Fahmi is the president of the Kodel Group holding company.<\/p>\n
Djimanto attributed the poor labor conditions in the country
\nto employers who ignored core labor standards, including minimum
\nwages, working hours and social security programs, the high-cost
\neconomy, the absence of legal certainty, the lack of security and
\nthe unregulated labor movement.<\/p>\n
C.H. David, chairman of the Transportation Trade Union in the
\nConfederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI), and
\nWahyu Susilo, coordinator of the Migrant Care non-governmental
\norganization, said Fahmi's appointment as manpower minister was
\ncontroversial because he was a businessman.<\/p>\n
\"All labor unions know of Fahmi's poor performance when he was
\nentrusted to handle the portfolio between 1998 and 1999,\" he
\nsaid. Fahmi served as a manpower minister under President B.J.
\nHabibie.<\/p>\n
David said Fahmi was the man behind the liberalization of the
\nbasic protection program for Indonesian workers, including those
\nworking overseas, and the controversial establishment of a
\nspecial terminal for migrant workers at the Soekarno-Hatta
\nInternational Airport in Cengkareng in 1999.<\/p>\n
Since the terminal was created there have been many instances
\nof the extortion of migrant workers by immigration officials when
\nthey returned home.<\/p>\n
Fahmi was earlier thrown out of the Golkar Party for
\nsupporting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the presidential election
\nrunoff.<\/p>\n
As manpower minister in 1999, he lifted ministerial decrees
\nrequiring Indonesian workers overseas and expatriates working in
\nIndonesia to participate in the state social security program
\n(Jamsostek) and deregulated the system, allowing private
\ncompanies to provide social security schemes and ending PT
\nJamsostek's monopoly.<\/p>\n
Former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu said Fahmi's first big
\nchallenges were the issues of annual bonuses, minimum wages and
\nMalaysia's plan to deport some 700,000 illegal Indonesian
\nmigrants.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Yunus Yamani, the chairman of the Indonesian
\nMigrant Workers Suppliers Union (Himsataki), called on Fahmi to
\nintroduce programs to protect migrant workers during their
\nrecruitment at home and their employment overseas.<\/p>",
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