House Leadership Confirms It Will Accommodate Labour Input on Employment Bill

The leadership of the House of Representatives (DPR) met with trade union representatives to discuss the draft Employment Bill. Deputy Speaker Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal confirmed that the DPR is accommodating input from labour groups. “Various inputs from all trade unions have been conveyed and we have accommodated them,” Cucun said after the meeting at the parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday. He noted that the union representatives who attended came from both inside and outside the coalition, including representatives from state-owned enterprise unions. “Nearly 200 people attended to convey the hopes of all these trade unions in the process of drafting the academic paper for this employment law,” he stated.

Deputy Chair of Commission XI Putih Sari assured that the working committee for the Employment Bill continues its work, even scheduling discussions during the recess period. “During the recess, the working committee also set aside time to continue scheduling its work, in addition to continuously receiving aspirations regarding the main points to be regulated in this employment regulation,” Putih said. She added that the academic paper for the bill has been uploaded to the DPR’s official website, allowing the public to provide further input. “This meeting is extraordinary because we can juxtapose inputs from various parties, especially since the feedback given is quite concrete and systematic, making each issue clear,” she said.

Elly Rosita Silaban, President of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers’ Unions (KSBSI), stated that her organisation had highlighted several key points. She noted that discussions proceeded smoothly and that nearly 99 percent of political party factions had received their document. Key issues raised include outsourcing, contract work, atypical work lacking an employment relationship, and the definition of an employment relationship itself.