The Ministry Of Manpower Encourages Workers Who Are Laid Off And Sent Home To Register For Pre-employment Cards

Minister of Manpower, Ida Fauziyah. (Photo: BNPB)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Manpower (Kemenaker) encourages workers who have to be laid off as well as victims of layoffs due to the corona virus pandemic or COVID-19 to register for the Pre-employment Card program.

The Minister of Manpower (Menaker) Ida Fauziyah said that the central government had taken steps to mitigate the impact of this virus by providing stimuli for businesses to prevent layoffs from spreading.

Ida explained that the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world, including Indonesia, has limited the social space for the community, and its impact is felt in almost all sectors, not only health.

Furthermore, Ida said, the Ministry of Manpower had also mitigated the impact of this COVID-19 on workers. One of them is by supporting the acceleration of the implementation of the Pre-Work Card program as an active partner by providing data on workers who have been laid off and who have been laid off.

As is well known, the central government has mandated to give priority to the Pre-Work Card program for workers who are victims of layoffs or who are laid off without pay.

"We are working with provincial Manpower offices throughout Indonesia. Similar to other ministries, we are also refocusing the budget to support training programs at BLK for workers or laborers who have been laid off and who have been sent home," he said, in a virtual press conference, at Jakarta, Friday, May 1.

According to Ida, workers who are sent home and who are sent to PHK are directed to produce products for handling the impact of COVID-19, including masks, disinfectants, PPE clothes, coffins for COVID-19, and food provision.

"We also provide incentives for competency and productivity-based training participants," he said.

Not only that, the Ministry of Manpower has also implemented a program to expand job opportunities aimed at workers or laborers affected by COVID-19 through several labor-intensive activities. Starting from infrastructure, productive, independent workforce applied appropriate technology, entrepreneurship and voluntary labor.

In addition, Ida revealed that his party has integrated labor data through an employment information system in collaboration with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and other relevant ministries. Based on the data, until now the workers or laborers gathered have been validated.

"There are 375,165 formal workers who were laid off, 1,032,960 formal workers who were laid off and 314,833 affected informal workers. So a total of 1,722,958 people have been recorded properly. There are 1.2 million which we will continue to validate. the data, "he said.

Ida revealed that his party also provides guidance and encourages strengthening of social dialogue, whether carried out bipartite between employers and workers, government and workers, or government and employers, as well as tripartite dialogue which is carried out informally or through cooperative institutions.

"The dialogue is to discuss various problems in anticipation of handling the impact of COVID-19 on business continuity and continuity of workers. We are also conducting intense coordination with local governments to prevent and resolve industrial relations disputes and layoffs," he said.