By: Eka Gumilang) *
The Workers Together with the People’s Movement plans to hold a demonstration when President Jokowi delivers a state address at the Annual Session of the MPR at the DPR / MPR Building Friday (16/8). In the action plan, Gebrak wanted to voice a rejection of the revision of the Manpower Act.
One of the Central Board of the National Labor Movement Akbar Rewako said that the revision of the law was very thick with the interests of employers. There are several points that are subject to labor objections in the revision of the Manpower Law. Such as wages, flexibility in terms of working hours, to the discourse of reducing severance pay for employees who have been laid off.
The government’s plan to amend Law No. 13 of 2003 also regulates the working hours of workers to be more flexible. Akbar considered that workers could work longer on orders from superiors if the law was revised.
Whereas the policy regarding the provision of severance pay for formal workers in Indonesia is somewhat higher than in other countries. Like for example Europe which only gives three times the salary for ten years, especially Spain, a maximum of 7 times the salary.
The arrangement that had been made since 16 years ago was considered to have made business actors afraid to enter the formal sector, so they chose to move in the informal sector. This is because the arrangement is not as strict as if it changes formally.
It is known in the Manpower Law Article 156 states that in the case of termination of employment, employers are required to pay severance pay and / or reward for work tenure and compensation money that should be received.
For example, a term of employment of 8 years or more is entitled to severance pay of nine times salary. Then for the award money with tenure is four months salary. Thus, the total obtained is 13 times the salary.
Previously, Apindo Chairperson Hariyadi Sukamdani considered that the current Manpower Law was outdated because it had not been revised for too long. Though the situation is different from 16 years ago when the legal umbrella was made. One example, related to working hours that are no longer the same in the current digital era with formal offices in general.
In the Manpower Act it is said that working time can be done 7 hours per day, 40 hours a week for 6 working days a week. Meanwhile, for companies that require employees to enter 5 working days in 1 week, working hours must be 8 hours and 40 hours a week.
He said that the Law was perforated everywhere, so it had to be replaced. In addition, various indicators of salary changes must also be reviewed to adjust to current conditions. In this case, the wage points are in the derivative rules, namely PP Number 78 of 2015.
He has also warned that Jokowi can listen to realistic and mature labor federations in addressing current conditions. Not a labor group that only likes demonstrations, makes traffic jams and casts criticism without good reason.
The workers ‘demonstration is actually something that is outdated, as if the workers’ demonstration has become an annual agenda for the workers, ironically when they are in action, many labor elites do sweeping and invite other workers to take part in the action, the results are not a few who actually think the demo while joking as if he did not understand the issue being raised.
Even if there is something to say, why should there be a demonstration and involve workers who might not understand anything. Is the increasingly crowded workers then all workers will be happy? Or maybe it’s not just the labor elite who are happy because they feel superior to other workers.
I am sure, not all workers insist on rejecting the revision of the Act, even if they refuse, of course some feel that they do not need to take to the streets. If they don’t have Twitter, they can use Hastagh to enter the trending topic and be thankful if they are read by President Joko Widodo.
Workers should also be aware that the industrial world is changing now especially with the introduction of the 4.0 industrial revolution. Workers should be more creative and grateful.
) * The author is a social political observer
