Riau Islands Governor Emphasizes The Importance Of BPJS Employment For Fishermen

Pancung boat, one of the main means of transportation for the inter-island community in Riau Islands Province (Kepri). BETWEEN

TANJUNGPINANG - Governor of the Riau Islands (Kepri) Ansar Ahmad emphasized the importance of the BPJS Employment protection program for local fishermen because of the geographical condition of the area 96 percent of the oceans with a distribution of 2,408 large and small islands.

"The majority of the Riau Islands community works as traditional fishermen, especially those living in coastal areas," he said in Tanjungpinang, Saturday.

He explained that the BPJS Employment program is a form of state presence in providing social protection and a sense of security for informal sector workers, especially fishermen.

According to him, pillar fishermen are important to maintain food security and the regional economy.

With the BPJS Employment social security, he said, the government wants to ensure that their families get proper protection when a disaster occurs.

"This is proof that the government does not let its people run alone," he said.

The Riau Islands Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service (DKP) allocated a budget of Rp6.31 billion for BPJS Ketenagakerjaan protection for 31,304 fishermen households in 2025. Each fisherman BPJS contribution is Rp201,000 per year.

He appreciated the impact of the employment social security program for fishermen because the benefits felt by the participants were greater when compared to the paid contributions.

He gave an example of fishermen who die while working or going to sea, the family has the right to receive compensation of Rp72 million plus educational scholarships for two children, from kindergarten to college.

Fishermen die of ordinary illness, entitled to compensation of IDR 42 million. If it has been three years to pay BPJS contributions, his son also has the right to an educational scholarship.

The former member of the DPR RI is committed to strengthening synergies with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan to expand the reach of social protection, considering that there are still many vulnerable workers in Riau Islands who need to be protected by local governments.

"This program has been running since 2023 and will continue in 2026. The target is expanded to fishermen, farmers and online motorcycle taxi drivers," said Ansar.

Deputy Chairman of Commission IX DPR RI Nihayatul Wafiroh stated that Riau Islands, which are part of the maritime area, need extra attention in terms of protection for fishermen.

He said the level of fishermen's protection in this border area was already high among other areas, with about 50 percent of fishermen already registered.

"The push to expand the scope of the BPJS Employment program for fishermen must be increased, so that more people get the benefits," he said during a visit to Tanjungpinang City, Riau Islands.

He said BPJS Ketenagakerjaan was vital for job accident guarantees (JKK) and death insurance (JKM).

According to him, the cost of covering fishermen with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan is not burdensome, only around Rp. 16,800 per month for each person, which means around Rp. 201,000 a year.

"The flow is quite affordable, but it is very important to protect fishermen when they work at sea," he said.

He noted that the need for protection for fishermen is quite high, especially in coastal areas that depend on marine catch.

Wafiroh reminded that if an accident occurs on remote islands, such as Natuna, the cost for transportation and medical care could reach tens of millions of rupiah.

"If fishermen have an accident and they don't have protection, it will be very difficult. But with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, the process of getting treatment is much cheaper and easier," he said.