Threatening Workers To Appeal To DKI UMP, Said Iqbal: Please Governor Anies To Protect Behind The Administrative Court Decision

Photo: YouTube screenshot Talk to Labor/Diah Ayu-VOI

JAKARTA - The President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) Said Iqbal admitted that his party had communicated with the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan regarding the plan to file an appeal against the decision of the Jakarta Administrative Court regarding the reduction of the DKI Jakarta provincial minimum wage (UMP) in 2022.

From the discussion with KSPI, Said Iqbal saw that Anies was less likely to appeal to the Jakarta PTTUN and obeyed the PTUN's decision to lower the UMP value from Rp. 4.6 million to Rp. 4.5 million.

Said Iqbal admitted that he was angry. He criticized Anies' attitude for not defending his own decision to increase the UMP by 5.1 percent to Rp4.6 million.

"Although it has not been officially announced, KSPI and the Labor Party condemn the attitude of the DKI Governor who tends not to appeal," Said Iqbal said in a virtual press conference quoted on Wednesday, July 27.

The DKI Provincial Government still has time to fight back against the PTUN decision being sued by the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) until Friday, July 29.

If Anies does not file an appeal by Friday, Said Iqbal threatens that the labor group who refuses to reduce the UMP will file an appeal on their own without involving Anies and his staff.

"We will appeal ourselves on Monday, August 1 or Tuesday, August 2 to the Supreme Court, without the Governor (Anies). We are left with the Governor. Let the Governor hide behind the PTUN decision," said Said Iqbal.

Said Iqbal also asked employers not to immediately lower wages to their workers before a final and binding decision is made.

The current UMP polemic is suspected to be the decision of the DKI Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) which canceled the DKI Jakarta Governor's Decree (Kepgub) Anies Baswedan regarding the 2022 UMP. This decision granted all claims by the Regional Leadership Council of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) DKI Jakarta.

In addition to canceling the Governor's Decree, the Jakarta Administrative Court in its decision also required Anies as the defendant to revoke Gubernatorial Decree No. 1517 of 2021 concerning the 2022 UMP which was issued on December 16, 2021.

Another ruling is that Anies obliges Anies to issue a new State Administrative Decree regarding the 2022 UMP based on the recommendation of the Wage Council of DKI Jakarta, namely the elements of the labor union Number: I/Depeprov/XI/2021 on November 15, 2021, amounting to Rp4,573,845.

Not accepting the decision, a group of workers from the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) held a demonstration in front of the DKI Jakarta City Hall, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, last Wednesday, July 20.

In an audience with the DKI Provincial Government in the midst of the demonstration, KSIP asked the DKI Provincial Government for a certain time to determine the attitude regarding the submission of an appeal against the PTUN decision or not before the deadline for submitting an appeal on 29 July. However, until now the DKI Provincial Government has not yet determined its position regarding the appeal.