The buck stops at the ministry, Latief says

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief urged his staff in both the head and regional offices to do much more to meet the needs of workers, thus sparing them from having to turn to other agencies or organizations.

"I don't want to see workers lodging their complaints and protests with the House of Representatives (DPR), the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) and non-governmental organizations," Latief told a working meeting of the ministry.

All apparatus of the ministry must pay more attention to the fate of the workers, and the ministry must be able to provide for all their needs, he said.

"If workers keep going to the DPR, that means the ministry's officials and its system are not working properly."

If workers continue to turn to SBSI and other NGOs for help in solving their problems, this means that ministry officials have not done their utmost, he said.

"Don't let SBSI and NGOs enter and operate in factories because they have no authority to do so," he said, adding that SBSI officials and NGOs who were found operating in factories should be reported to security guards.

SBSI has challenged the government's policy of recognizing the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) as the only organization allowed to represent workers in negotiations with management.

Latief also warned his officials against abusing their power to reap financial rewards, saying the ministry is a government office and not a money-making machine for its employees.

"If you want to be rich or are bored living modestly, you should resign from the civil service," said Latief, himself a successful businessman before he was recruited by President Soeharto to lead the Ministry of Manpower in March 1993.

The meeting was attended by the top echelons of the ministry as well as the heads of all the manpower offices in Indonesia.

He asked participants to improve the ministry's public image and discuss ways of carrying out its programs successfully for the sake of workers.

"I want this ministry to be a modern department and organized professionally," he said. (rms)