Employers hail new labor bill, unions divided
Employers hail new labor bill, unions divided
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An employers association hailed on Monday the planned endorsement
of the labor bill, but trade unions remained divided over the
draft.
Djimanto of the Indonesian Employers Association said the
final draft of the bill accommodated both employers and trade
unions.
"Basically we welcome the new labor protection and development
bill. It not only orders us to do many things but also regulates
workers," Djimanto told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The House of Representatives (DPR) is expected to endorse the
long-awaited bill on Tuesday after both employers and workers
reached agreement on about 60 contentious issues.
The House Special Committee settled over the weekend issues
pertaining to, among others, temporary workers, sabbatical leave,
paid leave for women workers who have miscarried, strikes and
lock outs, and dismissals.
Djimanto, however, said that employers still opposed the
requirement they give a maximum severance and service pay to the
worker equal to 40 times their monthly salary.
"It is not competitive compared to China which only requires
employers to provide severance and service payments equal to one
times the salary or Vietnam with five times the salary," he said.
Trade unions, on the other hand, gave conflicting reactions to
the bill.
The Federation of All Indonesian Labor Union (FSPSI) and
Reform SPSI are among those who immediately accepted the
endorsement of the bill.
Arif Sujito of FSPSI said many articles such as workers still
being paid during strikes, compensation for dismissed workers,
sabbatical leave, and legal protection of temporary workers were
good enough to accommodate workers' interests.
But Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI) head Rekson
Silaban urged the House to delay the endorsement of the bill for
one week to allow all unions to scrutinize it.
"We are worried that the latest bill does not entirely accept
the understanding between labor unions and employers.
"So why does the House not hold a hearing with us for another
week to see whether we accept it or not?" he asked.
Dita Indah Sari of the National Front of the Indonesian Labor
Struggle (FNPBI) rejected the bill, saying it and 40 other labor
unions planned to demonstrate in front of the House compound on
Tuesday.
"The bill has reduced workers' rights," she said.
She said, for example, the latest bill allowed children to
work, neglecting basic laws banning children from doing so.
Compensation schemes paid to workers who resign voluntarily or
are dismissed for committing crimes were lower than those under
the current regulations, she said.
She said the deliberation of the bill was not transparent
enough and therefore many trade unions had agreed to reject the
bill.