Retail Entrepreneurs Represented By Hypermart Bosses Suggest The Government To Responsible For The Salaries Of Employees Affected By Emergency PPKM

Chairman of the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association Roy Mande (Photo: Roy Mande)

JAKARTA - General Chairperson of the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) Roy Mande suggested that the government should share the burden borne by business actors regarding the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) on July 3-20.

"We hope that the government will provide operational incentives by covering 50 percent of the salary burden for employees affected by Emergency PPKM," he said when contacted by VOI, Friday, July 2.

According to Roy, this method can reduce the burdens that have been faced by entrepreneurs. Moreover, since the pandemic occurred the retail sector has not fully recovered.

"About 65 percent who work in the retail sector are store employees, namely cashiers, salespeople, and also other field workers," he said.

Meanwhile, the mechanism that can be implemented by the government if this intention is well received is by maximizing state enterprises in the field of manpower.

"The distribution can be through BPJS Employment, and this is very helpful for us entrepreneurs," he added.

In addition, Roy, who is the Independent Vice President Commissioner of PT Matahari Putra Prima Tbk (MPPA) who manages Hypermart, also hopes that the government can provide electricity tariff discounts to retail entrepreneurs.

“Yesterday, there was a VAT incentive for retailers whose business premises were rented, but this was not given to retailers who own their own land and buildings. For this reason, a reduction in electricity costs can be an alternative incentive for us," he explained.

Roy said, so far, business actors are still subject to the same B3 commercial rates as before the pandemic.

"So far we have never received a (discount) and still have to pay high electricity bills," he said.

As previously reported, the government through the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has officially established an Emergency PPKM for the Java-Bali region on 3-20 July 2021.

In its rules, the social restrictions require activities at malls or shopping centers to be temporarily closed.

However, there are some exceptions made, such as supermarkets or supermarkets that sell basic needs limited operating hours until 20.00 local time with a capacity of 50 percent of visitors. Then, pharmacies and drug stores are allowed to open fully for 24 hours.

The government itself targets the Emergency PPKM to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases to 10,000 per day from the current record of more than 24,000 cases per day.