Limited surveillance could lead to violations
Limited surveillance could lead to violations
There is a limited number of surveillance officials in Malang, reportedly due to the 2010 regency and city minimum wages not being in line with the correct amount.
The Malang regency administration currently has only one surveillance official overseeing the region.
“This is because companies provide wages below the minimum wage and do not report to the regency administration as the prevailing law requires,” advocacy division coordinator of the Indonesian Workers’ Struggle Solidarity (SPBI), Bambang Edi Sucipto, said Sunday.
He said the condition was concerning because the official was in charge of monitoring over 2,000 registered and unregistered companies in the regency, employing over 90,000 workers.
According to data at the Malang Manpower and Transmigration Agency, the official figure was 804 companies with over 60,000 workers.
Bambang, who is also a member of the regency payment council, said the regency’s manpower agency had been passive, only waiting for reports of cases. “And if the regency receives no reports, violations could occur during the implementation of the minimum wage,” Bambang said.
He said that more officials should have been employed to monitor minimum wage implementation in the regency.
Bambang also said although the 2008-2009 minimum wage was determined at Rp 954,500 (US$100) per month, there were companies that had lower wages.
Among them is a printing company in Lawang district, which pays its workers only Rp 700,000 per month.
Malang Manpower and Transmigration Agency chief Djaka Ritamtama admitted there was limited surveillance but assured the four structural officials monitored the implementation of the minimum wage.
He said challenges occurred because not enough officials undertook the necessary training, held in Jakarta by the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.
“Only those who complete the six-month training program can be employed as a surveillance officer,” Djaka said. “Unfortunately, the training is only held once a year,” he added. “It is intended for officials from across the country.”
Djaka expressed hope that the payment council help monitor the deployment of the minimum wage in the field. He also wanted to ensure reports were made so authorities could better detect system violations.
“We will have two more monitoring officials next year. Hopefully this will make surveillance more effective,” he said.
The 2010 minimum wage for Malang regency has been determined as Rp 1,000,005 per month.
Samuel Molindo, the Indonesian Employer’s Association’s chief in Malang, said around a dozen companies were planning to delay implementing the determined 2010 minimum wage.
He said instead they would pay the 2009 one, Rp 954,500 per month.
“To do this, however, we need a bipartite agreement between employers and employees,” he said Friday.
Last year 14 companies proposed the same thing when implementing the minimum wage.
The Indonesian Employer’s Association has 198 member companies, including state-owned PT Perkebunan Nusantara XII, shoe producers and textile producers.
Wahyoe Boediwardhana,THE JAKARTA POST,MALANG,Mon, 11/23/2009 1:38 PM | East Java
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