ID :
29027
Sat, 11/08/2008 - 13:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/29027
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JOINT MINISTERIAL DECREE NOT FOR PROTECTING EMPLOYERS: MINISTER
Jakarta, Nov 8 (ANTARA) - Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno has denied that the joint ministerial decree (SKB) issued by four ministers was aimed at protecting employers and disadvantaged workers because the government allegedly tried to restrict the minimum wage increase in 2009.
The minister told a seminar on the minimum wage here on Friday that article 1 of the decree stipulated that if a business sector was badly affected by the global economic crisis, the Wage Affairs Council and the Regional administrations were given room to re-negotiate the minimum wage system in the business sector concerned.
"This provision will be applied in an emergency situation. So, a decision must be made by involving both the managements and workers. It is a bipartite meeting," he said.
He called on leaders of labor federations to be broad-minded in responding to the ministerial decree.
"It is not true that the SKB will encourage companies to cut workers' wages. The SKB does not prohibit employers to raise provincial minimum wages (UMP)," the minister said earlier.
Erman Suparno said that the joint ministerial decree was issued to prevent massive lay-offs by employers when a global crisis hit Indonesia. Thus, it was to be applied to companies which were on the brink of collapse only.
The minister said that article 3 of the ministerial decree was often misunderstood as if companies were prohibited from raising the provincial minimum wages (UMP) in 2009.
Actually, he said, the authority to decide the UMP rate is in the hands of the regional administrations and the regional councils for wage affairs.
Minister Suparno said he had set up an interdepartmental team tasked to explain the public the joint ministerial decision of four ministers.
"We have formed the team because we are afraid that if the matter is explained by way of circulars only, it would be misunderstood again," the minister said. ***4***
The minister told a seminar on the minimum wage here on Friday that article 1 of the decree stipulated that if a business sector was badly affected by the global economic crisis, the Wage Affairs Council and the Regional administrations were given room to re-negotiate the minimum wage system in the business sector concerned.
"This provision will be applied in an emergency situation. So, a decision must be made by involving both the managements and workers. It is a bipartite meeting," he said.
He called on leaders of labor federations to be broad-minded in responding to the ministerial decree.
"It is not true that the SKB will encourage companies to cut workers' wages. The SKB does not prohibit employers to raise provincial minimum wages (UMP)," the minister said earlier.
Erman Suparno said that the joint ministerial decree was issued to prevent massive lay-offs by employers when a global crisis hit Indonesia. Thus, it was to be applied to companies which were on the brink of collapse only.
The minister said that article 3 of the ministerial decree was often misunderstood as if companies were prohibited from raising the provincial minimum wages (UMP) in 2009.
Actually, he said, the authority to decide the UMP rate is in the hands of the regional administrations and the regional councils for wage affairs.
Minister Suparno said he had set up an interdepartmental team tasked to explain the public the joint ministerial decision of four ministers.
"We have formed the team because we are afraid that if the matter is explained by way of circulars only, it would be misunderstood again," the minister said. ***4***
