Manpower office told to draw up 'wise' directives

Manpower office told to draw up 'wise' directives

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives promised Saturday
to keep monitoring the government's preparations for implementing
the newly approved manpower bill.

Amid continued support for, and opposition to, the bill which
was passed last Thursday, legislators agreed that the government
should use the time between now and Oct. 1, 1998, when the bill
comes into effect, to draw up quality directives for implementing
it.

Khofifah Indar Parawansa of the United Development Party (PPP)
faction said the government's directives on manpower affairs
should benefit the workers rather than curtail their rights with
legal measures.

Separately, Golkar legislator and former chairman of the
Federation of All-Indonesia Workers Union (FSPSI), Imam Sudarwo,
said the government should set up appropriate "operational
regulations".

Non-governmental organization activist Teten Masduki, however,
insisted the bill should be deliberated again because it did not
provide enough protection and leverage for workers to stand up to
their employers or the government.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said after a meeting with
President Soeharto Friday that the government would issue eight
government regulations before the bill went into effect next
year.

The bill, unanimously endorsed by all of the House's four
factions, calls for the establishment of 11 government directives
and two related laws.

If the President enacts the bill into law, it will abolish 11
old ordinances and laws on labor affairs.

Khofifah, a member of House Commission VIII on social welfare,
called on the government to be "wise" when drawing up the
manpower regulations, particularly the one dealing with labor
strikes.

The bill says workers must notify their employers and the
government at least seven days before they go on strike.

"For workers, striking is a last resort to settle a dispute
with employers. Therefore, the compulsory notification must serve
as an administrative procedure rather than as an interval to
allow security forces to intervene," said Khofifah, who was a
member of the special committee deliberating the bill.

She said the PPP wanted the notification clause to be only 24
hours before a strike, but it was overruled.

The old manpower law attempted to stipulate that workers give
notification of their plan to strike 48 hours in advance, while
the original draft of the new manpower bill said notification
should be given 72 hours in advance.

"The shorter the time (between notification and the strike),
the more independent the strike," Khofifah said.

Imam said the bill had adequate provisions on labor strikes,
including a stipulation that workers were allowed to go on strike
over Idul Fitri holiday bonuses.

He said he hoped the regulation on labor strikes would
encourage striking workers to abide by the law.

He said no strikes were conducted in a way that complied with
the labor law in the past.

The government will also issue regulations on establishing a
national productivity council and a national training council.

Imam said the councils should involve workers, employers,
academics and others committed to enhancing the productivity of
Indonesian workers so that they are on a par with workers in
developed countries.

Upheavals

Teten warned there could be social upheavals if the manpower
bill went into effect without substantial amendments.

"The bill reduces workers to a group of people who endanger
political stability. How can we build a democratic industrial
relationship this way?" he asked.

He suggested the government consider returning the bill for
re-deliberation to the next House when its term begins on Oct. 1.

He said the current House was "too ambitious" in its effort to
finish deliberating a number of bills before the deadline.

He said the broadcasting bill was another example of hasty
deliberation.

It was endorsed by the House but returned by the government
for an unprecedented second deliberation, due to some problematic
articles.

"The question is, does the government have the political will
to improve the bill or not?" he said.

He was also quick to voice his skepticism that the government
would be willing to return the bill for improvement.

"The government has managed to clear hurdles in the bill
deliberation. Now it will have the easy task of setting up
regulations which benefit itself," he said. (amd)