Long Holiday Gerus Worker Productivity, Minister Of Manpower: Joint Leave Is Not Mandatory

JAKARTA - The Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziyah responded to a polemic regarding the long holiday in Indonesia which was considered to reduce the competitiveness and productivity of work in Indonesia. Recently, entrepreneurs requested that the joint leave policy be abolished.

"The joint holiday and leave are joint decisions between the Minister of Religion, the Minister of PAN-RB, and the Ministry of Manpower," Ida said in a statement, Tuesday, May 21.

When asked whether the government would consider reducing the number of long holidays in Indonesia in response to the employer's protest, Ida just smiled without comment.

Based on the Joint Decree (SKB) of the three Ministers 'Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Religion, and Ministry of PAN-RB', there are 17 national holidays and 10 days of collective leave for workers throughout 2024.

According to Ida, the national holiday policy is mandatory because it is usually related to religious holidays. This holiday is designated as a form of tolerance between religious believers.

Meanwhile, he emphasized that collective leave is an optional policy given by business actors to their workers.

"Regarding leave, I think this leave is facultative (not mandatory). So, it is returned to a mutual agreement within the company," he said.

In addition, Ida considers that the long holiday policy which includes national holidays and collective leave can encourage economic growth in line with tourism growth.

"Trakers or the Indonesian people use a lot of vacation opportunities to visit tourist attractions," he concluded.