Minister defends RI no-vote on ILO convention

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 07/05/2007 10:50 AM

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Pangururan, North Sumatra

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno confirmed Wednesday that Indonesia had abstained from voting for the ILO Convention on Fishery during a recent International Labor Conference in Geneva, over what he labeled technical reasons.

Erman said he had no intention of hiding the issue from the public and that Indonesia needed more time to revise government regulations on the fishery sector before ratifying the convention.

""After discussing the ILO convention with stakeholders here, the government decided not to vote for it because we had an obligation to ratify it immediately,"" he told The Jakarta Post.

Labor unions accused the minister of betraying the public, especially workers in the fishery industry, when he gave a media briefing upon the recent arrival of his ministry's delegation from Geneva.

The ILO convention sets core international labor standards and deals specifically with minimum wages, social security protection and over-time payments for workers in the fishery industry.

Erman said it would be unfair to implement the international standards only in the fishery industry while most workers employed in the manufacturing, mining and forestry sectors were still paid in accordance with national standards.

""Besides, a majority of fishermen in Indonesia are grouped under small-scale entrepreneurs who pay their workers under the national standards. It is impossible for the government to force the small-scale entrepreneurs to pay their workers as per international wage standards,"" he said.

The minister said the government would ratify the ILO convention after all relevant regulations were revised and development in the fishery industry was accelerated.

""Abstaining could mean that we favor the convention; (the motion) differs from a rejection. And, so far, only two countries have opposed the ILO convention,"" he said, adding that the no-vote will not mean the ILO and other countries will refuse to help Indonesia accelerate development in its fishery industry.

He said Indonesia had also asked all 150 ILO members to reform the international labor agency to have it propose concrete programs for developing countries.

""The ILO should not only monitor labor conditions in its member countries, but also play an active part in repairing it. Indonesia has many NGOs and a civil society that could function as eyes and ears in monitoring labor conditions,"" he said.

""And the annual International Labor Conference should be hosted by respected member countries on a rotation basis, rather than at ILO headquarters in Geneva.

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