Lecturers' Salaries Below Minimum Wage, Commission X Pushes for Government Intervention
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission X, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, stated that the government needs to carry out special intervention to improve the welfare of lecturers in Indonesia.
The statement was made in response to the ongoing disparities in lecturers’ salaries across various regions, which were revealed during the continuation of the judicial review of Law Number 14 of 2005 on Teachers and Lecturers at the Constitutional Court.
“What should the government do about this, is special intervention necessary? In my opinion, it is very necessary,” Lalu said when contacted from Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to him, the low welfare of non-civil servant lecturers is not just a matter of nominal value, but also concerns respect for the dignity of the profession.
He highlighted the imbalance between the salaries received and the workload borne.
“If non-ASN lecturers are treated like daily workers with variable salaries, while the workload is equivalent to ASN lecturers, this is no longer just an economic issue, but also concerns social justice,” he said.
In addition, he continued, the government is considered necessary to establish a national minimum wage standard for lecturers so that the salary amount is not entirely determined by the internal policies of higher education institutions.
“Do not let market mechanisms determine lecturers’ salaries,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing material review of the Teachers and Lecturers Law at the Constitutional Court, Lalu stated that the House of Representatives respects that constitutional process.
“We will wait for the decision as a reference in determining the next steps, both in legislative functions and oversight,” he said.
In the material review petition submitted by the Campus Workers Union and two private university lecturers, the petitioners request that the phrase “basic salary” in Article 52 paragraph (1) be clarified to be at least equivalent to the minimum wage in the region of the higher education institution.
The petitioners also request more detailed regulations regarding the components of lecturers’ income, including allowances and additional benefits, to ensure income above the minimum living needs.
Meanwhile, during the continuation of the hearing, Chairman of the All-Indonesian Lecturers Communication Forum (FKDSI) Andi Herenal Daeng Toto revealed that there is still a significant gap between the salaries of non-ASN lecturers and the regional minimum wage (UMR) in several regions.
In addition, in West Sumatra, lecturers’ salaries range from Rp1.5 million per month with an UMR of Rp3.18 million. Even in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, there are non-ASN lecturers who are paid based on the number of courses, so they only receive around Rp1.2 million in six months.
According to Andi, this condition shows that the norms in the Teachers and Lecturers Law have not been able to provide minimum protection and potentially cause constitutional harm to lecturers.