Government Gives Rp1 Million Salary Subsidy, Mall Entrepreneurs: It's Still Less, Should Be 50 Percent Of Salary

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The government through the Ministry of Manpower will provide wage subsidy assistance (BSU) of Rp. 1 million to workers in the area of Level 4 Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

Chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Center Employers Association (APPBI) Alphonzus Widjaja said the wage subsidy assistance was still far from what employers had asked for. He said APPBI asked the government to subsidize at least 50 percent of employee salaries.

"The subsidy for workers' wages of IDR 500 thousand per person for 2 months for workers with a maximum wage of IDR 3.5 million per month is only 14 percent. The Shopping Center asks for a 50 percent subsidy for workers' wages," he said when contacted by VOI, Monday, 2 August.

Not only that, said Alphonzus, wage subsidies should also be given for one year. This is because the business deficit has been going on for almost 1.5 years. Moreover, the impact of the Emergency PPKM will not be immediately addressed when the Emergency PPKM is completed or terminated.

"Based on experience during this pandemic, just to increase the visit rate by 10 to 20 percent it will take no less than three months," he said.

Therefore, said Alphonzus, it is certain that it will take a long time to recover the impact of business closures due to Emergency PPKM.

Furthermore, Alphonzus said, relaxation and subsidies were urgently needed to help business players' cash flow to survive during this pandemic.

As is known, the Ministry of Manpower is finalizing preparations for the implementation of wage subsidy assistance (BSU) in the amount of Rp. 1 million to workers in the level 4. Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) area.

The Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah said the amount of subsidy received by the recipient was IDR 500,000 per month for two months for each worker. Aid will be distributed at once Rp1 million.

"The amount of data that we have completed today is starting from 1 million prospective BSU recipients out of an estimated 8.7 million workers will receive. The data for 1 million prospective BSU recipients will then be checked and screened by the Ministry of Manpower to ensure the suitability of the data format and avoid data duplication, " he said in a virtual press conference on Friday, July 30.

The following are the requirements for receiving a salary subsidy of Rp. 500 thousand:

1. Indonesian citizens are proven by NIK.

2. Registered as a worker social security participant who is still active in BPJS Employment and proven by a membership card number until June 2021.

3. Have a maximum salary of IDR 3.5 million. provided that the worker or laborer who works in an area with a provincial or district/city minimum wage is greater than Rp. 3.5 million, then the salary or wage requirement is at most the UMP or district/city rounded up to a full hundreds of thousands.

4. Work in PPKM level 3 and 4 areas set by the government.

5. Preferably work in the consumer goods industry, transportation, various industries, property and real estate, trade and services, except education and health. According to the classification of sector data in BPJS Employment.

6. Have a state-owned bank account either incorporated in Himbara, namely BNI, BRI, Mandiri and BTN. As for the Aceh region, it is the Indonesian Sharia Bank (BSI).