Workers Need Urgent Protection

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

A number of office employees on Jalan Sudirman, Jakarta, left the office during lunch break on Tuesday (28/7/2020). Although there are provisions for implementing health protocols with restrictions on the number of employees and setting working hours, Covid-19 transmission still occurs in many office environments.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government has appealed to the business world to comply with emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) and not to dismiss their workers. However, the appeal must be accompanied by concrete measures, such as wage subsidy assistance and strict sanctions against companies that ignore emergency social restrictions.

Speaking during a virtual press conference on Monday evening (5/7/2021), Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan reminded companies not to terminate their employees. Luhut also asked employees in the non-essential sector who were still forced to work from the office to report to the local government.

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Luhut asked the local governments to impose stricter supervision and sanctions.

“I want to ensure that employees working in non-essential sectors are not dismissed unilaterally. I also ask that employees in non-essential sectors who are still forced to work from the office must immediately report to the government," he said.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.

All-Indonesian Workers\' Organization secretary-general Timboel Siregar said on Tuesday (6/7) that concrete measures were needed to protect workers during the implementation of emergency social restrictions, both in meeting their daily needs and against the threat of COVID-19 transmission.

The government was also asked to reintroduce the wage subsidy assistance (BSU) program to workers in the business sectors affected by the social restrictions. In addition to helping revive household spending, the government’s social assistance to the affected workers would also help control COVID-19 transmission.

In 2020, the government provided wage subsidies to workers with salaries below Rp 5 million (US$350) registered with the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). The cash assistance of Rp 600,000 per month over a period of four months was transferred to workers\' bank accounts. The policy was discontinued in early 2021.

According to Timboel, to be more realistic, the wage subsidy should be given to workers more selectively, unlike last year, when it was given to all workers in various sectors and regions. This time, the wage subsidy should be given selectively to workers in businesses in Java and Bali that were seriously affected by the emergency social restrictions, he said.

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According to Timboel, the wage subsidy should be given only to workers who were laid off or their wages cut. With the selective provision of the wage subsidy, the government’s spending could be reduced. Last year, the government spent a total of Rp 29.4 trillion to finance its wage subsidy program.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Employees get out of their offices for a break in the Setiabudi office area of South Jakarta on Wednesday (20/1/2021). The Jakarta administration has limited office occupancy to 25 percent on the capacity in the essential sectors during the imposition of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) on Jan. 11-25, 2021.

The chairman of the Indonesian Employers\' Association (Apindo), Anton J Supit, said that during the implementation of social restrictions, employers needed to improve the efficiency of their businesses. Like the workers, Apindo also asked the government to revive the wage subsidy program as it could also help ease the cash flow of affected companies and avoid layoffs.

In her response to the wage subsidy proposal, Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah, said the government was reviewing the program, as well as reallocating budgets at each ministry and government institution for the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The matter will be further discussed because Pak Luhut said that it can be an option if we want to increase public spending. However, it is still in the process," Ida said.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)