BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Pushes Palm Oil Industry to Strengthen Occupational Safety and Health
Jakarta (ANTARA) – BPJS Ketenagakerjaan is urging the palm oil industry to strengthen the implementation of occupational safety and health (K3) practices and expand social security protection for workers across the entire palm oil ecosystem, including farmers, farm labourers, and drivers.
BPJS Ketenagakerjaan took this action during the three-year reflection forum of JAGA SAWITAN, organised by the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers’ Association (GAPKI) together with the Indonesian Palm Oil Workers’ Union Network (JAPBUSI) in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March.
Sumarjono Saragih, Supervisory Board Chair of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, stated that the palm oil sector, which employs a large workforce, must serve as an example in ensuring workplace safety whilst providing social protection for workers.
“The palm oil industry is a strategic sector that contributes significantly to the national economy and absorbs a large workforce. Therefore, this sector must exemplify worker protection through participation in workers’ social security schemes,” Sumarjono said in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.
He emphasised that occupational safety and health implementation cannot be separated from the palm oil industry’s business processes, as worker protection through social security is not merely a regulatory obligation but also a crucial foundation for business sustainability.
According to him, protected workers will boost productivity whilst ensuring long-term industry sustainability.
The JAGA SAWITAN forum serves as a social dialogue space between employers and trade unions in Indonesia’s palm oil industry to strengthen healthy, inclusive, and equitable industrial relations whilst promoting sustainable palm oil practices.
On this occasion, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and GAPKI also reaffirmed their commitment to expanding social security protection for palm oil workers through various schemes, including the utilisation of the Palm Oil Revenue-Sharing Fund (DBH Sawit) to reach both formal and informal workers in the industry ecosystem.
BPJS Ketenagakerjaan data shows that the number of palm oil plantation sector workers protected through this scheme increased from 364,605 workers in 2024 to 417,386 workers in 2025.
However, Sumarjono assessed that this coverage still needs to be expanded further through collaboration between local governments, industry players, and other stakeholders so that worker protection can reach a broader base, including smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises supporting the palm oil industry.