Reshuffle at Jamsostek questioned
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Two major labor unions have questioned the recent reshuffle at state insurance company PT Jamsostek, which they said was conducted abruptly and not transparently.
The Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI) and the Confederation of the Indonesian Prosperity Labor Union (KSBSI) said separately here on Wednesday that they knew about the recent reshuffle from local media as they had not been consulted by the government over the appointment of the company's new board of directors.
KSPSI chairman Jacob Nuwa Wea said the government could not decide to reorganize its board of directors without consulting any of the seven labor unions or the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), which are main stakeholders and have their own representatives on the company's board.
"We are suspicious of political motives behind the abrupt reshuffle. We have delivered a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, questioning the way the State Minister of State Enterprises carried out the reshuffle," he said.
Unlike the previous reshuffle, he said, the new board members were not screened prior to their inauguration, nor were they familiar with the social security programs run by the company.
KSBSI chairman Rekson Silaban accused State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto of committing corruption, collusion and nepotism in appointing the new board members.
"What expertise do these five outsiders have that makes them suitable leaders for Jamsostek? Iwan Pontjowinoto, appointed as Jamsostek's president, is only an IT expert. Does he have the competence to preside over Jamsostek? Tjarda Muchtar, appointed as operational and service director is a Golkar politician and a close friend of Manpower and Transmigration Minister Fahmi Idris," he told The Jakarta Post.
He also questioned the appointment of Iskandar Rangkuti as director of investment and that of Andi Achmad as human resources and general affairs director, because the two lacked the necessary experience and expertise, according to him.
Nuwa Wea and Rekson were of the same opinion that the presence of the newcomers on the board would have a negative impact on the company's performance.
They denounced the decreasing number of workers registered with social security schemes, which the minister said was the main reason for the reshuffle.
"The minister does not understand the prolonged economic crisis, which has made more and more employers unable to pay their workers well and register them with Jamsostek. Whoever presides over Jamsostek, the number of social security program participants will continue to decrease because many employers have dismissed their workers amid economic hardship," he said.
Nuwa Wea, also a former manpower and transmigration minister, called on the government to enforce Law No. 40/2004 on the national social security system and review Law No. 3/1992 on Jamsostek to convert PT Jamsostek into a nonprofit organization, otherwise it would continue to be the subject of extortion by government officials, political parties and mass organizations.
"Jamsostek's assets worth almost Rp 34 trillion (about US$3.7 billion) belong to workers and not the government and, therefore, it cannot be treated as a state enterprise. The government should contribute regularly to the social security programs to show its political commitment to protecting workers," he said.