Coalition Palm Workers (KBS) protesting the policy Jokowi ban the export of raw materials for cooking oil and cooking oil starting Thursday (28/4) yesterday because it has the potential to harm them.
Coordinator of the Coalition of Palm Oil Workers, Zidane said potential losses would occur if the export ban triggers a decline in the financial performance of palm oil companies. According to him, if the problem occurs, the company’s operations can be disrupted.
And that can be a reason for companies to reduce the guarantee for the fulfillment of workers’ rights, including in relation to wages, working days and health protection.
“The Oil Palm Workers Coalition views the CPO export ban policy as having the potential to have a negative impact on oil palm plantation workers. Oil palm plantation workers are in exploitative working conditions, low wages, vulnerable employment status, minimal protection of occupational safety and health. This condition has been going on for years, without fundamental changes,” Zidane said in a statement on Saturday (30/4).
He said the reduction in the rights of the palm oil company workers had now taken place. One of them is related to THR. According to the rules, workers should have received THR at least 10 days before Eid.
In the statement, he mentioned that some of the palm oil workers in Central Kalimantan, Bengkulu, Central Sulawesi, Aceh, North Kalimantan had not received THR.
“The Palm Oil Workers Coalition asks the government to evaluate and impose sanctions on companies that do not provide THR or give gifts in exchange for THR. It is not enough for the government to just make a complaint post, but (need to) monitor directly on oil palm plantations to ensure workers get THR,” KBS stressed. in the statement.
Therefore, KBS encourages the government to make a special policy to guarantee the rights of oil palm workers whose working conditions in oil palm plantations are not commensurate with the profits earned by oil palm plantation companies which increase every year.
“The Oil Palm Workers Coalition asks for special regulations for the protection of oil palm plantation workers that guarantee job security, wage certainty, a decent wage system, health and employment social security, K3 protection mechanisms and protection of freedom of association,” he said.
Jokowi banned the export of cooking oil and cooking oil starting Thursday (28/4). He imposed the ban in order to overcome the spike in prices and the scarcity of cooking oil that had occurred in Indonesia for more than 8 months.
The government hopes that the export ban will reduce the price of cooking oil to Rp. 14,000 per liter.
(tdh/agt)
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