Productivity begins with the family

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to launch a nationwide campaign to boost worker productivity by focusing attention more on what goes on in their homes rather than in the workplace.

Though it remains to be seen how this will be achieved, three cabinet ministers and the leaders of the Association of Employers (APINDO) and the Labor Union (SPSI) on Tuesday signed an agreement to coordinate their efforts.

"(Through the scheme) we expect workers to pay more attention to their families, thus helping raise the quality of human resources," State Minister of Population Haryono said at the signing ceremony.

The program, judging from what officials involved in the project said, would include crash courses for workers on managing their own finances, training for their spouses in home industries, and also training for the workers to upgrade their skills. The final goal is increased productivity.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said employers will benefit from higher productivity and workers in turn should then receive higher wages.

Haryono, Latief, Minister of Industry Tunky Ariwibowo, APINDO chairman Suratno Hadisuwito and SPSI chairman Imam Sudarwo all put their signature to the agreement.

"We haven't settled on a general guideline or worked out the technical and legal aspects .. It is still in process, but we hope to start early next year," Latief said.

Suratno said APINDO was fully behind the plan to bolster the productivity of workers, and said that he hoped the plan would also include some guidelines on how to manage household finances.

"There are so many things that can lure people to spend their money on low priority consumer goods," he said.

Latief particularly welcomed the worker training program, something which he felt is badly needed in Indonesia given that 76 percent of all workers have not gone beyond primary school. (pwn)