Ministry of Manpower: Collective Mudik for Workers Is Not a Corporate Burden, but an Investment in Productivity
Jakarta – The collective mudik programme facilitated by companies for workers is considered far more than a routine pre-Eid activity. The Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) views such initiatives as a form of corporate investment to maintain worker morale and productivity upon their return from their home towns.
The Director General of Industrial Relations Development and Social Security for Workers at Kemnaker, Indah Anggoro Putri, expressed appreciation for companies that consistently facilitate mudik activities for workers and their families.
“We commend companies such as PT Kayaba Indonesia that consistently facilitate mudik for workers and their families. This is a best practice of harmonious industrial relations that should be emulated by other companies,” said Putri whilst seeing off participants in PT Kayaba Indonesia’s collective mudik programme in Cikarang, Bekasi.
Putri explained that workers are essential to business continuity. Corporate support enabling workers to travel home safely and comfortably is deemed to have a positive impact not only on workers and their families, but also on the company itself.
Workers who are able to celebrate Eid with their families, she stated, tend to return to work with renewed enthusiasm, thereby boosting productivity.
Corporate Support Through Cooperation and Banking Collaboration
The collective mudik programme should not be viewed as a corporate burden, according to the ministry. Rather, the activity can be seen as an investment in human resources.
Kemnaker encourages companies to implement various creative schemes to support worker welfare, including through collaboration with worker cooperatives and banking partners.
Such collaboration, Putri continued, can help distribute programme financing more proportionally so that the burden does not fall on a single party.
PT Kayaba Indonesia’s mudik programme this year was implemented through synergy between company management, the K5 worker cooperative, and banking partner Bank Danamon.
Beyond welfare considerations, Kemnaker also prioritises travel safety. Through the Directorate General for Labour Supervision, Occupational Safety and Health, health examinations were conducted on primary drivers, backup drivers, and conductors.
Inspections also included spot checks on bus fleet conditions to ensure that vehicles meet roadworthiness standards.
PT Kayaba Indonesia this year dispatched 236 workers using four bus fleets heading to several cities in Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta.
PT Kayaba Indonesia Director Baron Tanaka expressed appreciation for Kemnaker’s support in ensuring worker travel safety.
“We hope the journey of workers and their families runs smoothly and safely until they reach their home towns, so that they can return to work with renewed enthusiasm,” he said.