Bandung City Government Contracts 121 Bandung Zoo Workers, Salaries Guaranteed During Transition Period
The Bandung City Government is guaranteeing the job continuity and salaries of hundreds of employees at Bandung Zoological Garden (Bandung Zoo) by contracting them as expert staff during the transitional management period.
Secretary of the Bandung City Manpower Agency (Disnaker), Bariati Ratna Aju, stated that the workers have been officially contracted by the city government since 25 March 2026.
“For the manpower issues at Bandung Zoo, the government’s solution is to hire them as expert staff effective from 25 March,” said Bariati yesterday.
She explained that the contract will run until 24 May 2026 or until a new manager is appointed through the tender process.
“This work contract starts from 25 March and will end on 24 May 2026, assuming a new manager is in place before that date,” she said.
According to Bariati, the expert staff scheme was chosen because the workers’ roles, such as animal keepers and veterinarians, require specialised skills that cannot be easily replaced.
“This is an expert staff contract because their expertise is rarely possessed by others,” she stated.
A total of 121 workers have been contracted under this scheme. They will receive wages in line with the Bandung City Minimum Wage (UMK), which is around Rp4.7 million per month. The Bandung City Government has allocated a budget of Rp568.7 million per month to pay the workers’ salaries during the two-month transition period.
In addition, the workers have received pre-Eid bonuses sourced from a collaboration between the Bandung City Government and the Bandung City National Zakat Agency (Baznas).
Regarding the outstanding wages for the period from February to 24 March 2026, Bariati said this matter is being handled by the West Java Provincial Government.
Even though they have been contracted by the city government, the workers remain employees of the Tamansari Wildlife Foundation (YMT).
“This expert staff contract does not erase their employment status; they are simply currently employed as expert staff by the government,” she clarified.
The Bandung City Government aims to complete the tender process for the new Bandung Zoo manager before early May 2026.
“We are optimistic that a new manager will be in place before 5 May 2026. We do not anticipate any delays,” said Bariati.
The Bandung City Disnaker also urged the workers to continue performing their duties optimally, particularly in ensuring the safety and health of the animals during the transition period.
Previously, Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan emphasised that the operations and employee salaries at Bandung Zoo are the responsibility of the city government during the management transition period.