Skepticism greets manpower minister

Skepticism greets manpower minister

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Employers and unions have voiced early doubts about whether newly
appointed Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Fahmi Idris
will be able to improve the country's poor labor conditions and
relations.

Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) secretary general
Djimanto said being an employer would make it difficult for Fahmi
to deal with labor disputes.

But Djimanto said it would be unfair to criticize Fahmi at the
start of his five-year tenure.

"It is wise to give the new minister the first 100 days to
learn about the urgent and key issues and to set his own
programs," he told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.

Fahmi is the president of the Kodel Group holding company.

Djimanto attributed the poor labor conditions in the country
to employers who ignored core labor standards, including minimum
wages, working hours and social security programs, the high-cost
economy, the absence of legal certainty, the lack of security and
the unregulated labor movement.

C.H. David, chairman of the Transportation Trade Union in the
Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI), and
Wahyu Susilo, coordinator of the Migrant Care non-governmental
organization, said Fahmi's appointment as manpower minister was
controversial because he was a businessman.

"All labor unions know of Fahmi's poor performance when he was
entrusted to handle the portfolio between 1998 and 1999," he
said. Fahmi served as a manpower minister under President B.J.
Habibie.

David said Fahmi was the man behind the liberalization of the
basic protection program for Indonesian workers, including those
working overseas, and the controversial establishment of a
special terminal for migrant workers at the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport in Cengkareng in 1999.

Since the terminal was created there have been many instances
of the extortion of migrant workers by immigration officials when
they returned home.

Fahmi was earlier thrown out of the Golkar Party for
supporting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the presidential election
runoff.

As manpower minister in 1999, he lifted ministerial decrees
requiring Indonesian workers overseas and expatriates working in
Indonesia to participate in the state social security program
(Jamsostek) and deregulated the system, allowing private
companies to provide social security schemes and ending PT
Jamsostek's monopoly.

Former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu said Fahmi's first big
challenges were the issues of annual bonuses, minimum wages and
Malaysia's plan to deport some 700,000 illegal Indonesian
migrants.

Meanwhile, Yunus Yamani, the chairman of the Indonesian
Migrant Workers Suppliers Union (Himsataki), called on Fahmi to
introduce programs to protect migrant workers during their
recruitment at home and their employment overseas.