Companies that do not pay THR are proposed to be included in the criminal offense.

Illustration of THR holiday allowance (Pixabay)

Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Edy Wuryanto, encourages that violations of companies in the payment of holiday allowances (THR) for workers are no longer treated as administrative violations, but are considered as criminal acts.

He assessed that the main problem lies in the weakness of sanctions that do not have a deterrent effect. So far, violations of THR have only been subject to administrative sanctions such as restrictions on public services to business termination, but in practice they are rarely actually implemented.

"This concerns workers' rights. If it is still considered an administrative violation, then the perpetrators will never be deterred. The state must be more assertive," said Edy, quoted by Antara, Friday, March 27.

He assessed that the government was still sluggish in taking action against companies that did not pay THR because they were afraid it would have an impact on layoffs. As a result, administrative sanctions became ineffective and no longer relevant, said the member of the commission dealing with employment.

Edy also encouraged the government to strengthen prevention measures by ensuring that companies are ready to pay THR well before the deadline.

"Supervision should not only appear before Lebaran or after there are reports. Next year, companies that have violated must be visited, audited, and ensured that they have budgeted for THR. This is a concrete form of prevention," he said.

On the other hand, he asked the Ministry of Manpower to complete all reports that are still pending by clarifying the role of the labor inspectorate.

He emphasized the importance of external supervision to ensure the performance of the apparatus runs optimally.

"The work of the supervisor must be supervised. Involve the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia as an external supervisor so that there is no impunity," he said.