Apindo's Threat To Workers Who Go On A National Strike: Considered Resigning From The Company

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) has responded to the threat of a national strike related to drinking wages which will be held by the labor union in early December. Apindo assessed that the national strike was not in accordance with the provisions of Article 140 of Law Number 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower.

Director of Apindo Research Institute, P. Agung Pambudhi explained this because in the regulation only strikes were allowed, namely the failure of negotiations between employers and workers.

"A national strike is not in accordance with the provisions in our view," he said in a virtual press conference, Thursday, November 25.

Agung said that based on Article 6 of the decision of the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, it was explained that a strike must be carried out by sending a notification letter to the police and the Manpower Service within 7 days prior to its implementation.

Furthermore, said Agung, if this is not done, the workers who are not included will be considered absent. Employers have the right to call workers who go on strike to return to work. However, if within 7 days there have been two summons but not fulfilled then the worker is considered to have resigned.

"If the worker does not fulfill the summons, it can be considered as resigning, this is the norm," he explained.

Therefore, Agung also asked the employers to communicate with the workers and provide explanations. According to Agung, if the conditions in some areas are dynamic enough so that entrepreneurs are asked to cooperate by prioritizing this rule of law.

"We urge entrepreneurs and members of Apindo to provide an understanding of the rules," he explained.

Previously, in the aftermath of disappointment with the determination of the national average minimum wage of 1.09 percent by the Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah, as many as 2 million workers will go on a national strike.

President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) Said Iqbal said that the national strike will be carried out for three consecutive days from December 6 to 8, 2021. Later, workers will start a national strike at 08.00 to 18.00 local time.

"The form of a national strike is to use Law 9/1998. We don't use a strike, we go on a national strike. It's not a strike. Because it uses Law 9/1998, the location for this national strike or national demonstration is the one in the factory where production stops and leaves the factory. ," he said in a virtual press conference, Friday, November 19.

According to Iqbal, the national strike will be followed by 60 national-level federations and 5 national-level trade union confederations. So that a total of 2 million workers will be involved in the national strike on December 6-8, 2021.

"This action is widespread in 33 provinces. More than 150 regencies/cities involving hundreds of thousands of factories, with an estimated number of members who will join the national strike action is 2 million people," he said.