Said Iqbal: OHS Implementation Applies to Workers in All Sectors

Presidential Special Adviser for Employment and Labour Welfare, Said Iqbal, has affirmed that occupational health and safety (OHS) applies to all workers without exception and is a core principle of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention. “In the ILO Convention on OHS, the protection of worker safety is the top priority, whether for factory workers, office workers, labourers, journalists, or other professions. Occupational safety and health is number one,” Said Iqbal stated in Jakarta on Tuesday. He underscored this point following an alleged OHS negligence incident that resulted in the deaths of three workers, including one foreign national, on a project undertaken by PT Moya Indonesia. “This concerns the loss of workers’ lives. In ILO standards, occupational safety and health is a very fundamental issue. Even a single worker’s life must be accounted for,” he said. According to Said Iqbal, PT Moya’s explanation confirmed that the company does have OHS procedures. However, facts on the ground indicate alleged negligence and violations of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan provisions. He conveyed that based on confirmation from the Directorate of Labour Inspection Development (Binwas) at the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower and the DKI Jakarta Provincial Manpower Office, an inspection notice regarding the alleged violations will be issued within the next two days. “Preliminary inspection results show that the worker was not registered as a BPJS Ketenagakerjaan participant by PT Moya. Instead, we found that one of the victims, named Husin, was registered with another company, Railway Construction. This means he was not registered by PT Moya, even though they were working through a subcontracting chain with a foreign company from China. This is very dangerous. OHS protection is inadequate, there is no BPJS, and workers become very vulnerable,” he explained. He added that PT Moya executives present at the meeting stated their readiness to be held accountable for the matter according to legal process. “The company stated they are ready to take legal responsibility and coordinate with the victims’ families. But the legal process must proceed,” he said. Beyond the current case, Said Iqbal mentioned that his office will also investigate other alleged workplace accidents that caused fatalities in similar projects. He also requested a thorough examination of the project tender process, given previous scrutiny from several non-governmental organisations regarding its implementation. “PT Moya has many projects in various regions, especially PDAM projects funded by regional budgets. We demand that all aspects of OHS, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan membership, and compliance with tender provisions be thoroughly examined,” he said.