Companies must improve workers' safety: Mega
M. Taufiqurrahman and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on companies in Indonesia to significantly improve the safety of their workers following reports about the increasing number of fatalities occurring at workplaces.
The President made the statement on Monday in response to a recent report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), which shows that Indonesia's safety standards are the worst in Southeast Asia as it has the highest number of accidents occurring at workplaces across the country.
"The report shows that in the first semester of 2002, 57,000 accidents took place at companies throughout the country, which translates into more than 300 accidents a day," she said.
Workers' social insurance company PT Jamsostek reported that the total number of accidents in 2001 reached 104,000 with more than a thousand fatalities and hundreds of workers suffering permanent injuries.
Emphasizing the dire need for worker's protection, Megawati urged companies to strive toward a zero accident record at their workplaces if they wanted to see their businesses flourish.
The latest report from the Occupational Safety and Health Council shows that of 16,000 local companies, only 80 of them had complied with regulations and had been granted zero accident certification.
Earlier on Monday, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea vowed that the ministry would not hesitate to take stern action against any company violating standard safety measures for workers.
He said that the government would punish companies that had a high number of accidents, based on Law No. 1/1970 on work safety.
Nuwa Wea, however, did not elaborate on what actions would be taken against violators as he was fully aware that the existing laws on work safety were too lenient, prompting companies to ignore them.
"The government lacks the personnel to oversee the law's implementation, and to complicate matters, some of the officials practice corruption, collusion and nepotism with the business owners," he said at a convention promoting occupational safety and health (OSH) standards.
The minister also pointed out that a lack of discipline among workers and business owners contributed to the increasing number of work-related accidents and illnesses.
"During a recent trip to a cigarette company in Kediri (in East Java), I witnessed workers who were not wearing face masks while making cigarettes, with the knowledge of their foreman," he said.
"The most important factor (in promoting workers' safety) is workers' awareness, and officials and businesspeople willingly abiding by the regulations without pressure from the government," he said.
In the case of raising workers' awareness, the ministry has gained the support of the ILO.
"The ministry should embark on an education campaign to raise the awareness of workers' safety," said the ILO representative for Indonesia Alan Bolton.
Poor safety conditions have added to the woes workers are saddled with as they struggle harder to earn a low income amid the recent increase of utility prices.