Union wants better deal for contract workers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI)
\ncalled on the government on Thursday to tighten the regulations
\non hiring contract workers, saying that many of them had been
\ntreated unfairly by their employers.<\/p>\n
Contract workers are always haunted by uncertainty about their
\nfuture, SBSI chairman Muchtar Pakpahan said.<\/p>\n
\"Many have worked all their lives without guarantee concerning
\ntheir welfare,\" Muchtar said in an SBSI-sponsored discussion,
\nwhich looked at problems facing contract workers, held at Hotel
\nWisata in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He said that any new system should include a provision stating
\nthat workers must be paid severance pay at the end of their
\ncontract, and limit the number of jobs in which employers could
\nuse contract workers.<\/p>\n
SBSI estimates that some five million out of Indonesia's 95
\nmillion strong workforce are working under contract, which means
\nthat they do not get the perks and benefits that permanent
\nworkers enjoy.<\/p>\n
Most of these contract workers are unskilled workers doing
\nmenial jobs. They are found in the banking, electronic, textile
\nand garment and the mining sectors.<\/p>\n
More specifically, SBSI urged the government to repeal two
\ngovernment decrees that companies have used as a basis in hiring
\ncontract workers: Minister of Manpower Decree 2\/1993 on periodic
\nworking contracts and Minister of Manpower Decree 5\/1995 on
\nperiodic working contracts for the oil and gas sector.<\/p>\n
Under these decrees, companies can employ contract workers for
\na maximum of up to three years. Beyond this, they have to either
\nrecruit them as permanent workers or dismiss them.<\/p>\n
The decrees also specifically state that companies may only
\nemploy contract workers for seasonal jobs and as trainees.<\/p>\n
SBSI spokesman Andy William Sinaga said many companies opted
\nfor the contract system to avoid various financial obligations
\nthey would otherwise be required to pay their workers.<\/p>\n
\"Contract workers don't get severance pay, pension funds or
\nsocial security,\" Andy told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He said they also faced an uncertain future and employers
\noften offered them two choices: reapply for the job, sign a new
\ncontract, or terminate the contract permanently.<\/p>\n
Most workers opt to reapply for work at the same company
\nrather than face the uncertain prospect of looking for a new job,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
There are contract workers who have worked for up to 20 years
\nat the same company without receiving benefits that they would
\nhave been entitled to under a permanent hiring system, he said.<\/p>\n
Some companies dismiss workers when their contracts expire and
\nrecruit a new batch of workers to replace them, Andy said.<\/p>\n
This practice is rampant in the mining sector which is
\ndominated by foreign companies, he said.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration said it was
\nreviewing the rules on contract workers, but it cautioned SBSI
\nagainst pushing its demand for the abolition of the system.<\/p>\n
The problem cannot be viewed from one side only, Director
\nGeneral of Industrial Relations Marjono told the discussion.<\/p>\n
The interests of employers must be taken into account too, he
\nsaid, adding that some jobs still required the use of contract
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot simply revoke these decrees. What about companies,
\nlike those in the construction sector, which rely on short-term
\nprojects?\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government is currently working to improve the regulations
\nto improve the welfare of contract workers, he said.<\/p>\n
Marjono said the issue of contract workers should be resolved
\nby the government and the representatives of employers and
\nworkers. \"We should sit down together and find a solution.\"<\/p>\n
He urged workers to report to the government any companies
\nwhich abused the contract workers system. He promised that the
\nministry would follow up on any information from workers. (07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/union-wants-better-deal-for-contract-workers-1447893297",
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