JAKARTA (Joint Press Release): Employing more than 95 per cent of the world’s working population, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the main source of employment in developing countries, including Indonesia. In Indonesia, SMEs have also become a significant support to the sustainable development of the economy and important channel to absorb surplus labour. In fact, more than 60 per cent of the labour force is employed in SMEs.

However, SMEs are still facing many challenges. One of them is how to raise productivity while improving occupational safety and health and working conditions. Safety and healthy development of SMEs in Indonesia concerns not only people’s well-being but also a new global interest in an approach to sustainable development in which social, economic and environmental dimensions come together.

As an effort to promote more safety and a health culture in SMEs, the International Labour Organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration will conduct an interactive discussion titled “The Importance of Occupational Safety and Health in Improving the Productivity and Competitiveness of SMEs in Indonesia” on Wednesday, 25 April 2012, at Gallery Smesco, Jakarta. The discussion will be opened by Mudji Handaya, Director General of Labour Inspection, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Nina Tursinah, Chair of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) and Peter van Rooij, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia.

The discussion is part of the series of 2012 OSH expos and seminars organized by the National OSH Council from 24 – 26 April 2012, in conjunction with the commemoration the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The discussion is organized by the ILO through its Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Programme. Launched in July 2010, the ILO’s SCORE programme is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).

“SMEs play an important role in Indonesia in terms of employment creation and contribution to the local as well as national economies. Therefore, the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration is very keen to collaborate with both workers and employers to ensure better, safer and more productive workplaces, particularly for the SMEs that in turn lead to higher productivity and quality in the workplace that can be sustained,” said Mudji Handaya, Director General of Labour Inspection, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration.

The ILO’s Director Peter van Rooij said that SMEs are key to creating and sustaining decent work for all. “Through the SCORE programme, the ILO has supported the improvement of SMEs through the development of training modules to boost quality and productivity, improve working conditions, strengthen collaboration and communication between employers and workers and improve safety and heath at workplaces. Out of the five SCORE modules that have been adapted to the conditions of SMEs in Indonesia, module 5 is specifically focused on OSH which will help SMES to be more competitive in global market.”

“The key to sustainable economic development leading to effective poverty reduction lies in a successful, competitive SME sector. Thus, Switzerland and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs greatly support initiatives taken to improve the competitiveness and productivity of SMEs. We believe that SMEs can be competitive in national and global markets, that they can benefit from the value created in increasingly global value chains, thereby creating jobs and improve industrial relations,” said Juerg Schneider, Head of Economic Development Cooperation (SECO).

The interactive discussion will present Mudji Handaya, Director General of Labour Inspection, Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Pandu Pamardi, Manager of Dharma Bakti Astra Foundation and Ratri Sapta, Owner of PT Lestari Dini Tunggul as the representative of the Indonesian SMEs. It provides an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences and information related to risk prevention. The discussion also examines efforts taken to implement effective and efficient OSH as part of the effort to strengthen the implementation of an OSH culture in SMEs to reduce occupational accidents while improving productivity and competitiveness.

The discussion will be conducted in collaboration with SmartFM Network, a leading radio station, and will be live aired in 10 cities: Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, Medan, Palembang, Makassar, Manado, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin and Pekan Baru.

The ILO celebrates the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28 April to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide. Globally, according to ILO data, an estimated 337 million workplace accidents and 2.3 million deaths occur every year.

For further information please contact:

Lusiani Julia
Programme Officer
Tel.: +6221 391 3112 ext. 135
Email

Gita F. Lingga
Communications Officer
Tel.: +6221 391 3112 ext. 115
Email