Hearing With Labor Unions, Presidential Chief of Staff Ensures President Jokowi Provides Social Security For Workers

JAKARTA - Deputy II of the Presidential Chief of Staff, Abetnego Tarigan, emphasized that President Joko Widodo is strongly committed to providing social security for workers and laborers, he said when receiving representatives of the National Workers Union (SPN) at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Thursday, May 12.

According to him, this commitment is realized through Presidential Instruction No. 2/2021 on Optimizing the Implementation of the Employment Social Security Program and Presidential Instruction No. 1/2022 on Optimizing the Implementation of the National Health Insurance Program.

"The existence of these two Presidential Instructions proves that the President cares about the social security of workers", said Tarigan in a press statement received in Jakarta.

He said the current government continues to encourage the acceleration of participation in social security for workers so that workers and laborers and their families can enjoy the benefits of the program. 

"Currently the government is focused on increasing the number of participants, especially for vulnerable workers and non-State Civil Apparatus (ASN)", he said.

"The social security of this workforce is to prevent the heirs of workers from falling into poverty and without extreme poverty", he said.

However, he acknowledged that there are still challenges in implementing Presidential Instruction No. 2/2021, especially in terms of socializing the registration mechanism and the benefits.

However, he ensured that the Presidential Staff Office together with related ministries/institutions would continue to oversee President Jokowi's mandate.

The General Chairperson of the Central Executive Board (DPP) of the National Workers Union (SPN), Djoko Heriyono, asked for serious implementation in the field of the rules for social security for employment and national health insurance, considering that up to now, not 50 percent of workers are covered by social security.

"Until September 2021, the number of formal workers covered by BPJS assurance is still 27 million. Whereas the total number of formal workers is around 70 million. We ask Presidential Chief of Staff to oversee this", said Heriyono. 

The arrival of labor representatives from the National Workers Union to the Presidential Chief of Staff was part of a series of actions to commemorate International Labor Day (May Day).