Productivity begins with the family

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)