Petitions Rejecting JHT Regulations Can Only Be Disbursed When Participants Are 56 Years Old Flood Support

Screenshot of the petition "Because of this new regulation, JHT cannot be liquidated before 56 years". (Photo: Doc. Special)

JAKARTA - The petition on Change.org entitled "Because of this new regulation, JHT cannot be disbursed before 56 years", is getting more and more support. Based on VOI monitoring until 09.14 WIB, it was recorded that more than 250 thousand signatures had been signed.

This petition is to reject the rules regarding the payment of old-age benefits or JHT which can only be disbursed at the age of BPJS Employment participants reaching 56 years of age.

With 300,000 signatures, this petition will break records by becoming one of the most signed petitions on Change.org.

This petition began with Suhari Ete, who voiced together to reject and #Cancel Permenaker Number 2/2022 concerning Procedures and Terms of Payment of Old Age Security Benefits.

It is known, JHT can only be disbursed at the age of 56 years of participants as stipulated in the Minister of Manpower Regulation Number 2 of 2022 concerning Procedures and Requirements for Payment of Old Age Security Benefits. This Minister of Manpower Regulation Number 2/2022 also revokes Ministerial Regulation Number 19 of 2015 concerning Procedures and Requirements for Old Age Security Benefits.

The Ministerial Regulation which was promulgated on February 4, 2022, states in article 3 that JHT benefits can only be given when the participant enters retirement at the age of 56 years. Furthermore, Article 4 states that the JHT benefits for participants who reach retirement age also include participants who stop working.

With the new regulation, workers who are laid off or resign can only take their Old Age Security funds when they are of retirement age.

So, if a worker/worker is laid off when he is 30 years old, he can only take his JHT funds at the age of 56 years or 26 years after being laid off. In fact, currently, the funds managed by BPJS for Manpower are more than Rp. 550 trillion.

"In fact, we as workers really need these funds for business capital after being laid off. In the previous regulation, workers were laid off or resigned or their contract expired, they could withdraw JHT after 1 month of officially not working," said Suhari Ete, the author of the petition.

Previously, the Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziah had opened her voice regarding the public protest against the new policy of the Old Age Security (JHT) program.

The public protested after the Ministry of Manpower issued the Minister of Manpower Regulation Number 2 of 2022 concerning Procedures and Requirements for Payment of Old Age Security Benefits. Through this rule, JHT participants can only get their rights after entering retirement age or 56 years.

"Because the purpose of the JHT is to guarantee cash in old age, then the JHT claim should not be made when the old age has not yet arrived," said Ida, Saturday, February 12.

According to Ida, participants in the JHT program can still get some of their rights under certain conditions. One of them, participants must have the status of being a participant in social security for at least 10 years. Then, the value of JHT that can be claimed is 30 percent for housing, or 10 percent for other purposes.

He ensures that the disbursement of JHT before the participant reaches retirement age can be done as long as the above conditions are met. These provisions apply to all JHT participants.

"So as long as the participation period has been fulfilled, participants can claim the percentage value. This applies to participants, both those who are still working or those who have been laid off," he said.