Recalcitrant bosses warned of jail
JAKARTA: Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea warned employers on Tuesday that they would be liable to three months in jail if they refused to pay the new provincial minimum wages.
Jacob also said that employers who failed to pay the minimum wage increase could face disruptive labor action.
"If the workers stage protests, don't blame it on me. The law is there for everybody to abide by. It has been familiarized to the public for long enough," Jacob told journalists.
The new minimum provincial wage levels are set to take effect this month despite objections from the Association of Indonesian Employers (Apindo).
Some provincial governments, like Jakarta's, have suggested that employers who find themselves financially strapped should propose a postponement to the government.
Jacob said that Apindo's objection had not been taken into account as the organization only represented 700 member companies.
"How can it claim to represent all employers when it only has 700 members. In Jakarta alone, there are 25,000 employers," Jacob said.--Antara
;JP; ANPAa..r.. Scene-autonomy Regional governments misuse aid JP/8/SCENE
Regional governments misuse aid
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno acknowledged on Tuesday that many local administrations have misused financial assistance from the central government.
"Many local administrations implement the autonomy incorrectly, thinking they can do whatever they like," Hari said in a media briefing to review the performance of his ministry.
The autonomy law came into effect in January last year. The government wants to revise it on the grounds that it allows regency administrations too much power and could be fertile ground for separatism.
Hari said that the most common deviation was that local administrations spent the financial aid for local budget on the wrong purposes.
"Many local administrations spent the development funds from the central government on officials' allowances," he said.
The minister promised to have the budget of all regional governments audited to make sure that every rupiah is spent wisely.--Antara
;JP;NFK;ANT; ANPAa..r.. Scene-Indonesia-smuggling RI to host people smuggling forum JP/8/SCENE
RI to host people-smuggling forum
JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is scheduled to host a regional conference on people-smuggling on Feb. 27-28 in cooperation with its Australian counterpart.
"I have agreed with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer to hold a regional conference to deal with the issues of people-smuggling and illegal migrants," Minister of Foreign Affairs Hasan Wirayuda said on Monday.
He said the forum, themed People-Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes is part of a joint agreement signed by the two countries last September in an effort to deal with the entry of illegal Middle East immigrants to Australia.
"We have invited 35 countries in the Asian region, including representatives from the European Union and international organizations," Hasan said.
Indonesia and Australia also hoped that representatives from the countries of origin of illegal migrants, such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, would attend the meeting, he said.
The conference, to be held in the resort island of Bali, will be followed by a meeting of senior officials in Jakarta. --Antara
;AFP; ANPAi..r.. Singapore-maid Maid jailed for threatening employer JP/8/SCENE
Maid jailed for threatening employer
SINGAPORE: An Indonesian maid was jailed for two months for threatening her employer with a knife after she was told she would be sent home for refusing to have a haircut, a report said Tuesday.
Sulasmi Paiman, 21, had refused to have a haircut and was told she would be sent back to Indonesia, the Straits Times said.
She then brandished a knife at her employer Chan Fong Yin, who had to be shielded by her in-laws with a chair during the incident on Saturday.
Police arrested the maid, who pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal intimidation, the report said. AFP