JAKARTA – To mark the tenth anniversary of the ratification of ILO core Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association by Indonesia, the Government of Indonesia and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will launch a Photo Exhibition, “A Portrait of the World of Work in Indonesia”, on Monday, 9 June 2008, at the ILO Library, Geneva. The exhibition will be opened by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Besar Setyoko, and ILO Executive Director, Mr. Kari Tapiola.
Forty photos will be on show for two weeks, to coincide with the International Labour Conference being held from 28 May to 13 June. The photos capture the diverse and colourful realities of the world of work in Indonesia—from Aceh to Papua, from fishing platforms to executive office buildings in Jakarta. The photos also recognize the immense contribution of Indonesian workers to Indonesia’s economic and social development, and serve as an inspiration for creating better working conditions for all workers.
The Indonesian Manpower Minister, in providing opening remarks, said that the ratification of Convention 87 by Indonesia was accomplished in 1998, a historic year for Indonesia. “It was the year that was also marked by the rebirth of democracy, the beginning of the reform era and a new paradigm in industrial relations after several decades of the discredited New Order regime,” he said.
He explained that 1998 also marked the beginning of the Indonesia’s labour law reform programme, aimed to modernize the labour laws consistent with international labour standards in particular the fundamental principles and rights at work. The three major labour acts, the Trade Union Act, the Manpower Act and the Industrial Relations Disputes Settlement Act, enacted under the labour law reform programme are now being implemented.
“These laws are indeed not perfect and reservations from various sectors have been made but it can not be disputed that they were the product of genuine and democratic social dialogue amongst the government, trade unions and employers’ organization at various levels. The labour laws also enshrine workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, including the right to form unions, the right to strike and the right to bargain collectively,” he added.
Despite the progress, the Manpower Minister admitted that challenges remain and there is a need for further improvement. “We are aware of the enormous challenge and work ahead of us to ensure that the principles we are focused upon today are finally fully realized in our country. I can only assure you that the government, trade unions and employers in Indonesia are trying their best to achieve this objective,” he concluded.
Mr. Kari Tapiola, the ILO Executive Director, noted that in different stages and in various ways member States, including Indonesia, were taking action to implement the ILO’s Decent Work agenda and to support the Asian Decent Work Decade. “The Decent Work Agenda is an agenda that transforms through productive job creation, empowers through workers rights, liberates through social protection, and unites through social dialogue. The commitment showed by the Government of Indonesia is also strategically important to the realization of the Asian Decent Work Decade as it provides a strong basis to work together in an effort to ensure that regional integration contains a strong social dimension and leads to a fair globalization.”
Indonesia was the first Asian country and the fifth country in the world to ratify all eight of core Conventions. Since becoming a member of the ILO in 1950, Indonesia has ratified a total of 18 conventions.
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