Not Only Anies Baswedan, South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru Also Reviewed The UMP Increase

Governor of South Sumatra Herman Deru/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Governor of South Sumatra (Sumsel) Herman Deru will review the 2022 Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) which has been approved at Rp3,144,446.

The review was submitted in response to protests from local labor unions demanding an increase in wages of seven to 10 percent of the legalized value.

"It will be reviewed. It is very possible that there will be a change in the increase if it does not violate the Government Regulation (PP) and wage formulas," said Herman Deru in front of hundreds of workers who demonstrated in Palembang, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, November 30.

However, according to him, in the process of reviewing wages, the government needs to involve elements of workers and employers or in this case the wage council.

So that the result of decision making becomes a concrete solution because it has been mutually agreed upon.

“A wage increase of around 7-10 percent cannot be decided by just a governor. There is a process, there is a discussion, there are rules that need to be studied," he said.

Moreover, he continued, the rules that underlie the determination of the UMP value, namely Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning the Job Creation Law, are also being studied because they are considered conditionally unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.

"In principle, we, the government, must balance how the needs of workers are accommodated and the needs of companies are met," he said.

Previously hundreds of workers demonstrated against the value of the UMP which was ratified by Decree (SK) number 746/kpts/Disnakertrans/2021 and asked the Governor to cancel it. Then they asked the governor to consider an increase in wages of around 7-10 percent.

"We also asked the governor as the head of government to review the UMK. Because not for our needs one month, the increase was only Rp. 19,000," said South Sumatran All-Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) Abdullah Anang.

They hope that the wage process can return to Law No. 13 of 2003 which is considered to have a more objective assessment.

Referring to after the Constitutional Court's decision which stated that the omnibus law on unconstitutional job creation was conditional.

According to them, Law No. 12 of 2003 is clearer about the process of increasing wages based on the indicators of the need for a decent living (KHL), while in the new law, the government no longer includes elements of KHL for wage increases.

"KHL is the right thing, every year it will be surveyed according to daily needs. In the Omnibuslaw it is clear that workers' rights in the wage council no longer exist," he said.

Anies Baswedan writes to the Ministry of Manpower

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan visited hundreds of mass workers who demonstrated in front of the DKI Jakarta City Hall Building demanding a change in the 2022 Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) which had been hammered.

After speaking with the media, Anies, wearing a Korpri uniform, then walked out of the DKI City Hall Building towards Jalan Merdeka Selatan, where the demonstration was held, Monday 29 November.

The former Minister of Education and Culture even sat on the asphalt before delivering an explanation to the mass of laborers.

"Friends, we understand and we are currently jointly fighting for the UMP in Jakarta to rise higher than the current formula," said Anies.

Anies explained that his party has proposed to the Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziah to review the formula for determining the 2022 UMP. According to Anies, the formula for determining the UMP is not appropriate to be applied in DKI Jakarta Province, which is based on Government Regulation Number 36 of 2021.

"This formula, if applied in Jakarta, is not appropriate. Therefore, we sent the formula letter to provide a sense of justice. So, we have sent it and now we are in the discussion phase," he said.