JAKARTA, Indonesia (ILO News) – Better Work Indonesia (BWI) organized the Indonesian Business Forum (IBF) 2024 in Jakarta on 5 November, after its last forum two years ago in 2022. Attended by around 70 BWI’s international buyers, agents, group manufacturers, licensees, vendors and relevant stakeholders, the IBF highlighted the importance of collaborative pathways for sustainable garment industry in the country under the theme: Compliance, Respect and Innovation.
Simrin Singh, ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, appraised the resilience of Indonesian garment industry in compliance with labour regulations and standards and in dealing with existing challenges such as changing consumer behaviour, tougher business competition and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Indonesian garment industry is a vital part of the country’s economy and sources of employment. Thus, responsible and visionary business practices as well as strong collaboration among relevant stakeholders are key for the industry to be resilient, going forward with the adoption of more sustainable business practices,” stated Simrin in her opening address.
Similarly, Elly Silaban, President of the Confederation of All Trade Union (KSBSI), emphasized the significant of collaboration for transparency and social dialogue in her opening address. “All relevant stakeholders should work together building a strong collaboration to ensure dialogues and find solutions and, thus, a sustainable business model is key.”
The IBF presented two tripartite panel discussions. The first panel discussed the enhancement of labour law compliance through collective efforts and best practices. One of the panellists, Dion Untung Widjaja, Head of International Relations of the Textile, Garment and Leather Trade Union Federation of the Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Union (FSP TSK-KSPSI), introduced how they use a grievance application called Halo Siola. The application is jointly developed by the ILO through its Strengthening Industrial Relations in Indonesia (SIRI) project.
“The application is an example of an effective grievance mechanism for resolving conflicts through dialogues and negotiations and for promoting a conducive working environment for sustainable businesses,” he said.
Meanwhile the second panel discussion highlighted the mitigation of industrial relations disputes to promote industrial harmony in the Indonesian garment sector. Sulaiman Madi, Sustainability Governance Manager H&M Production Office in Indonesia explained about how a how a mechanism called the Global Framework Agreement between H&M, IndustriALL Global Union and IF Metal, and its National Monitoring Committee aimed to promote good industrial relations and create a safe working environment.
Meanwhile, Imelda Savitri, Manpower Ministry’s Coordinator for the Industrial Resolution Disputes in the Private Sector, stated that prevention has become the focus of the government through education, coordination and dialogue. “We also encourage the involvement of a mediator as a neutral party to help employers and workers finding win-win solutions,” she said.
In addition to the panel discussions, the IBF introduced a web-based Indonesia Labour Law Guideline. The Guide covers all the necessary day to day provisions which are of interest to companies, workers and unions in the corporate environment, as well as to officials, especially in the area of employment. Available in English and Bahasa Indonesia, the Guide collects and deciphers the most important labour legislation so that it can be more easily understood and used by people working in the field, as well as others. In addition, it provides interactive features on the calculation of rights such as the calculation of religious allowance.
Ade Irma, a Compliance Officer of PT Gunung Salak in Sukabumi, West Java, enthusiastically welcomed the labour law guideline. She was keen to make the best use of the information available on the platform to promote better knowledge and understanding about the laws in her company. “I greatly appreciate the platform as it will make our work easier and help our company to be more compliant. I also appreciate the availability of the English version and the calculation feature that can be easily accessed by employers and workers for transparency,” she said giving two thumbs up.
The IBF also put the spotlight on sexual harassment and workplace violence in the garment sector. Participants joined the interactive exhibition of BWI’s Respectful Workplace Programme (RWP). The exhibition presented champions of RWP from 45 factories that were already trained in how to tackle the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, explaining efforts on training and socialization programmes, grievance mechanisms and campaigns. Participants visited booths where they learned about good practices from other factory staff to embed into their own factories.
