JAKARTA (ILO News): The connection between consumers and their purchases has now shifted into something bigger. Consumers are now giving extra attention to social responsibility practices conducted by an enterprise. The development of the garment industry in Indonesia has also received much attention from consumer. Consequently, the international buyers placing orders in supply chains in Indonesia continue to improve the compliance of their suppliers concerning the existing labour laws, and also help to promote good practices of social responsibility.

Over 300 compliance and human resources officers are employed by companies producing for American and European Markets. Together, with third party auditors and staff recruited by major brands in Indonesia to monitor compliance, the number of professionals in this field is significantly increasing. However, unlike mainstream human resources management, opportunities for compliance officers in the garment industry to advance their professional skills and competencies are poorly developed and often merge within existing human resources networks, without considering the particular attributes required by a compliance officer.

Compliance officers must not only be familiar with prevailing human resources trends and Indonesian labour laws, but also environmental compliance, occupational safety and health compliance, industrial relations and the emerging needs and expectations of the international markets and brands. Additionally, they must also be able to strengthen and facilitate dialogue between managers and workers and support good working conditions in the garment industry.

Therefore, to improve the performance of the Indonesian garment industry and to strengthen the capacity of companies to be more socially responsible, the ILO through its Better Work Indonesia programme is organising a one-day Networking Event for Human Resources and Compliance Practitioners in the Indonesian garment industry.

The event will be held on Wednesday, 14 November 2012, at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Jakarta. It will serve as a forum where practitioners can interact and share knowledge on how to better implement best CSR practices. Opening remarks will be presented by Sofyan Wanadi, Chairman of APINDO, and Peter van Rooij, Country Director of ILO Indonesia. Other participating speakers include Iftida Yasar (APINDO), Steve Kosasih (Business Practitioners), C.K. Song (Chairman of KOCHAM) and Yasinda Q. Batangtaris (PT Citra Abadi Sejati).

To continue discussion among practitioners, Better Work Indonesia has established a media platform via Linkedin to serve as an on-line communication forum. This will provide an accessible virtual space for practitioners to share information on handling human capital, enhancing productivity, and promoting good human resource management practices.

Peter van Rooij, Country Director of ILO Indonesia states, “People in the workplace are very important instruments to its success. If human resources management practices are good, then the management will be able to achieve their goals.

He also adds that good practices of human resource management play an important role in improving productivity which will also increase workplace performance and help to promote compliance towards labour standards.

Better Work is a unique partnership programme between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Better Work Indonesia is funded by the Australian Government, under the Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) and The United States Department of Labor.

Better Work Indonesia (BWI) is part of the Better Work global programme, and one of the ILO’s country projects which aims to improve compliance with labour standards and promote competitiveness in Indonesia’s apparel industry, by offering customised advisory and training services to factories to address their individual needs. The BWI programme began in 2011 with the initial geographical focus on the Greater Jakarta Area, which includes Purwakarta, Subang and Karawang. Later this year, BWI will expand to other geographic areas such as West Java and Central Java.

For further information, please contact:

Ms Josephine Imelda
Knowledge Management and Communication Officer
ILO - Better Work Indonesia
Tel.: + 6221-391 3112
Email