By Nadia Pralitasari, manager Gajimu.com
Labor market conditions in Indonesia have improved markedly over the past twenty years, although it is still faces issues which hamper progress towards prosperity. Improvement in wages and working condition will contribute to the productivity and quality of the workers, which is one among other things that will equip Indonesian workers to maintain their competitiveness in the ASEAN Economic Community. Very often the process to solve labor conflicts is accompanied by demonstrations. However, the methods of dialogue or debate which WageIndicator and trade unions have recently brought in and implemented, do have a meaningful impact for Indonesian workers.
KSBSI Uses WageIndicator Tools Systematically
WageIndicator is affiliated with KSBSI, one of the biggest trade unions in Indonesia. It has 11 federations and each federation organises offline activities (debates, dialogues, meetings, trainings) throughout the year. WageIndicator tools such as its Salary Check, Decent Work Check, Compliance Form and CBA-database are often used in these offline activities, their use depending on the topics of the activities. For example, WageIndicator’s Decent Work Check-list is often used in fact-finding debates to map out what the main issues are that workers face. As time goes by, the Decent Work Check gradually becomes a standard tool to identify the labor issues that occur in each company and it is widely used in training, dialogues or debates by trade unions.
Participants of training and debates use the Decent Work Check and together find solutions to the issues that it brings up
Compliance Forms to Get the Minimum Wage
Even though Indonesia has a binding regulation regarding Minimum Wage, there are still workers who are paid below the Minimum Wage level and have a hard time to make ends meet. Stagnating wages and rising living costs are ongoing issues. Through the use of the Decent Work Check in meetings and debates, problems regarding the implementation of Minimum Wages are identified. Participants who earn below the Minimum Wage complete the Compliance Form and hand it over to other colleagues within their company that suffer from underpayment like they themselves do. The public at large, people who did not attend meetings and debates, may access the Compliance Form online, and Gajimu.com will forward it to concerned parties in specific regions (be it trade union-official or the Labor Inspector).
Trade Union Negotiators Use the CBA-database
Next to the Compliance Form, other solution to solve this wages and work condition issues is to have it addressed in company’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). WageIndicator also has a tool which compares topics on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), i.e. the CBA-database, in which we gather and analyze the content of collective agreements. Because this concept is relatively new, promotion is needed. To gain more visibility for the CBA-database, we have promoted it in special workshops or debates dedicated to CBA. Participants (mostly CBA-negotiators) find these sessions very useful and now create their own company CBA.
The Advantage of Being Independent
One of the advantages of WageIndicator is that we are independent. Therefore we could promote the site and our online data in activities conducted not only by KSBSI, but also at the employer’s association, government, and other NGOs with similar interests in the labor market.
The more we create compelling content on the WageIndicator website, the more will it in all likelihood provide chances for WageIndicator to extend its influence offline. There is a possibility for potential business/cooperation, for WageIndicator to be invited for labor-related events, to be invited as a speaker on those events, and to build a personal and professional network.
In conclusion, the WageIndicator tools help trade unions to identify the labor issues that occur in companies and regions, to solve many non-compliance cases, and to recruit new trade union members. Meanwhile, by attending offline activities, it will also help WageIndicator to expand its professional network, to gain more visibility offline, and it helps to get us closer to potential web-visitors. Integrating online and social media with strategic offline campaigns and promotion activities can be powerful to raise awareness first and promote actions in its wake.
By blending WageIndicator sites and offline activities, the message becomes stronger and more consistent, leading to familiarity and trust in WageIndicator, which in turn makes it easier for outsiders to discover us and our services.