Ministry of Cooperatives Signs MoU, Kopdes Managers to be Protected by BPJS Employment

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Managers and workers of Village/Urban Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) Merah Putih will receive protection from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. This protection is one of the points in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Cooperatives (Kemenkop) and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono stated that Kopdes Merah Putih absorbs a significant amount of labour, both directly and indirectly. “Starting from the managers of the Village/Urban Village Merah Putih Cooperatives, the workers, security, finance, and then all direct and indirect activity units can receive coverage or protection from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan,” said Ferry at the Kemenkop office in Jakarta on Monday (11/5/2026). Ferry hopes that the MoU can be implemented and provide benefits for cooperative administrators. From the total number, only 9,000 cooperative units have signed cooperation agreements with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Beyond the number of cooperatives currently operating actively, the government is building 81,000 Kopdes Merah Putih. Saiful stated that around 1,000 units of Kopdes Merah Putih will be inaugurated by President Prabowo in the near future, and their workers will be registered with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. “If the 1,000 that have been inaugurated will also become potential members of ours and we will protect them,” said Saiful. According to Saiful, the benefits of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membership will not only be received by the cooperatives and their administrators. The workers and members engaged in activities will also receive protection. Cooperative workers will feel secure because they obtain protection from work risks. “It is hoped that if, God forbid, a disaster or work accident occurs, they do not have to bear the costs themselves; we will cover it,” Saiful explained.