Labour Minister assures Indonesia's employment system is free of forced labour practices

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Manpower Yassierli has emphasised that Indonesia has regulations ensuring that its employment system is free from forced labour practices.

The statement was made in response to the United States (US) investigation regarding trade policies, particularly the issue of the forced labour import prohibition.

“From the employment perspective, there is indeed a section related to the forced labour import prohibition clause. This concerns Indonesia’s policies on prohibiting imports of products resulting from forced labour. We have already consolidated on this,” said Yassierli when met in Jakarta on Monday.

The government, he continued, has prepared a written response to the questions in the investigation, particularly regarding Indonesia’s policies in addressing products suspected of using forced labour.

The response document is currently in the finalisation stage before being submitted by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

According to Yassierli, the focus of the questions from the US side is on the extent to which Indonesia’s policies regulate the prohibition of imports of products from countries or industries that still use forced labour practices. The government is also said to be continuously monitoring developments on this issue.

In addition to labour issues, in its investigation, the US has highlighted the problem of excess production capacity.