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Apindo criticizes 68.9% hike in Idul Fitri bonus
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Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
T
he Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has criticized the government's disbursing Rp 35.76 trillion (US$2.50 billion) in Idul Fitri holiday bonuses (THR) for civil servants, police officers and military personnel, as well as state pensioners, saying that it was too much.
The THR allocation for this year is 68.9 percent higher than last year’s figure and nearly equals monthly net incomes, as it includes all allowances and benefits.
Last year, the government based its THR calculations on basic salaries only. Furthermore, the government has included pensioners in this year's holiday bonus allocation.
Apindo chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani on Wednesday criticized the inclusion of the performance-based allowance in the bonus as “too much”, saying that the services government officials provided had not improved much.
"The bonus is additional cost for the country. Meanwhile, we see a lot of investment projects that have been delayed or postponed, partly due to the contribution of [government officials'] slow performance," he said on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a book launch for tycoon Sofjan Wanandi's autobiography at the JS Luwansa Hotel in Jakarta.
He also believed that government officials had received many benefits and privileges this year, including the extended Idul Fitri leave and shortened working hours during the Ramadhan fasting month.
"They can enjoy extended leave without deducting from their leave quota and during Ramadhan, they work only seven hours. This is not [the case] at private companies," said Hariyadi. (bbn)
