Building a culture of resilience on safety and health to over 1,500 workplaces and 22,000 workers in Indonesia

JAKARTA (Joint Press Release) – The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst jobs crises, as it affected around 29 million workers in Indonesia by August 2020, adding to the existing pool of about seven million jobseekers. As a result, 2.6 million workers lost their jobs and 24 million workers suffered from cuts in hours of work and wages due to the pandemic.

The impact of occupational safety and health investment has a direct impact on the company productivity, reduce accidents in the workplace, and bolster company image and collectedly boost the economic resilience."

Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower

The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with the Ministry of Manpower and the Government of Japan, have joined forces in restoring the employment situation by strengthening the occupational safety and health (OSH) management system at the company level to ensure business sustainability and the protection of workers. The other goal is to build positive OSH culture for the creation of a safe and healthy working environment nationwide.

To showcase the achievements and milestones of these joint activities, the three organizations are conducting a closing ceremony on Tuesday, 20 September held at Grand Hyatt Hotel Jakarta. The Manpower Minister, Ida Fauziyah, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of Japan, Masami Tamura and ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Michiko Miyamoto officially open the closing ceremony consisting of a series of OSH talk shows, an exhibition and project results handover to the Government of Indonesia.

As we look back and take stock of the key achievements, we should also remember this is part of the journey of the government, enterprises, workers and young people to determine the safety of future generations and investment for businesses and society as a whole by continuously striving to develop novel approaches to address OSH challenges and needs."

Michiko Miyamoto, ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste

These series of events are going to conducted for three days until 22 September 2022 and also mark the closing of the ILO’s Enhancing COVID-19 Prevention at and through Workplaces, aimed to enhance COVID-19 prevention measures at and through workplaces amidst of the pandemic that will facilitate business re-opening, continuation and expansion.

This 1.6 million US dollar project, funded by the Government of Japan, has strengthened the OSH management system of 1,521 workplaces and has reached 22,154 workers. Also serving as a platform for advocacy for better OSH understanding, awareness and actions, the project has reached 15,218 people nationwide.

Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower, emphasized the importance of the promotion of OSH principles and culture so that Indonesia would be more resilience in facing and dealing with future crises like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“The impact of occupational safety and health investment has a direct impact on the company productivity, reduce accidents in the workplace, and bolster company image and collectedly boost the economic resilience. With the project collaborating with many different partners and stakeholders, it has demonstrated the importance and versatility of the project to support address multiple OSH needs from different sectors,” said Ida Fauziyah, Minister of Manpower

We have thus managed to improve thousands of workplaces by strengthening COVID-19 prevention measures at workplaces and leading to employment protection for companies in Indonesia."

Masami Tamura, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of Japan

In addition, the project has also brought together key employment partners such as, among others, trade union confederations, the Indonesian Medical Association for Occupational Health (IDKI), the Indonesian Employer’s Association (APINDO), Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI). The project has also worked closely with journalism organizations to raise awareness about the importance of OSH in supporting the nation’s economic growth.

“As we look back and take stock of the key achievements, we should also remember this is part of the journey of the government, enterprises, workers and young people to determine the safety of future generations and investment for businesses and society as a whole by continuously striving to develop novel approaches to address OSH challenges and needs,” emphasized Michiko Miyamoto, ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

A similar appreciation is given by Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of Japan, Masami Tamura, “We have thus managed to improve thousands of workplaces by strengthening COVID-19 prevention measures at workplaces and leading to employment protection for companies in Indonesia. We do hope that the many activities carried out under this project will spill over into the future.”

For further information please contact:

Adelin Alexandra
Communication Project Officer of the ILO's Enhancing COVID-19 Prevention at and through Workplaces
Email: [email protected]