Klaten's 'Red and White' Cooperative Pays Staff from Operational Revenue

The ‘Red and White’ Village Cooperative (KDMP) in Bentangan Village, Wonosari District, Klaten Regency, Central Java, is paying its two employees a monthly salary of Rp1.5 million each from its operational revenue. Cooperative Chairman Bambang Gunarsa stated that both employees are members who assist with business operations, including managing a basic necessities shop and selling fertiliser and LPG. “Alhamdulillah, KDMP has been able to provide salaries for the past 12 months,” Bambang said when contacted from Jakarta on Saturday. He noted that the salary amount was set based on the cooperative’s financial capacity, adding, “It is according to our ability. We are not yet able to pay according to the district minimum wage (UMK).” KDMP Bentangan, which was inaugurated in July 2025, now records an average monthly turnover of around Rp40 million with a profit of approximately Rp7 million. Despite being able to pay staff, Bambang said the entire management board still works voluntarily without honorariums, with profits prioritised to increase the cooperative’s capital. All stock has now been purchased using the cooperative’s own capital. ANTARA sought clarification from Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah regarding salary provisions for Red and White Cooperative employees, including whether government guidelines exist, but no response had been received at the time of publication. The government is accelerating the establishment of KDMP across Indonesia, targeting 40,000 operational village cooperatives by the end of 2026. Currently, 1,061 KDMP outlets are operating in Central Java and East Java. Beyond physical construction, the government is prioritising human resource preparation through managerial training to ensure cooperative managers have the capacity to develop and manage businesses professionally from the outset. According to the Village Red and White Cooperative Information System (Simkopdes) as of 9 July 2026, a total of 35,870 cooperative construction sites have been verified, with around 20,000 units still under construction and approximately 15,500 units fully completed.