Casual Workers Promoted to Permanent Staff

The government has decided to promote 735,825 casual workers to civil servants. Casual workers who fail to fulfill administrative requirements to pass the civil servant selection process can join a separate selection process to become a contract-based government employee.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The government has decided to promote 735,825 casual workers, including non-permanent teachers, to civil servants. Casual workers who fail to fulfill administrative requirements to pass the civil servant selection process can join a separate selection process to become a contract-based government employee (PPPK).

The decision was made in a limited internal meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday (21/9/2018). In the three-hour meeting, it was agreed that the government would issue a government regulation on PPPKs to serve as the legal basis for promoting casual government workers to civil servants.

“For casual workers, the government has planned a solution in the form of the PPPK appointment. Casual workers who fail to pass the civil servant exam and those older than the maximum age set in the requirement can take the PPPK exam,” Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Syafruddin said after the meeting.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Members of the Indonesian Village Officials Association (PPDI) attend a hearing with Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) in the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta (25/1/2018). In the meeting, the PPDI complained about the unclear status of its members’ employment with regard to their classification as civil servants, non-government employees, contract workers or another status.

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung Wibowo, Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, National Civil Service Agency head Bima Haria Wibisana, National Development Planning Board head Bambang Brodjonegoro and Development Finance Comptroller head Ardan Adiperdana attended the meeting.

The appointment of PPPK workers will refer to Law No. 5/2014 on state civil apparatuses (ASNs). The law stipulates that ASNs comprise civil servants and PPPK workers.

The government would prioritize human resources in the promotions. However, it would take into account the services and devotion of non-permanent teachers who fail to pass the two exams. The Indonesian diaspora will also be given the opportunity to serve as teachers.

Teachers

In order to be a PPPK, casual workers will need to take the relevant exam. Bima said the exam was necessary to ensure the quality of PPPKs, especially for teachers. PPPK recruitment will be opened after the civil servant selection process is complete.

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Category 2 (K2) contract workers from several regions in Indonesia stage a rally in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) complex in Senayan, Jakarta, while a joint meeting between a DPR commission and relevantministries was held in connection with their employment on Monday (23/7/2018). They demanded that the government and House of Representatives immediately grant them civil servant status.

Syafruddin said 112,000 casual workers nationwide were teachers in state and Islamic schools. They will be asked to take part in the civil servant exam. Apart from academic qualifications, an age limit of 35 is also included in the prerequisites.

Syafruddin said that non-permanent teachers aged 36 and above can still take the PPPK exam, which will also be opened for those who fail the civil servant exam. The age limit to take the PPPK exam is 63 – two years shy of the teacher retirement age.

The government has also planned an alternative solution for casual workers who fail to pass the PPPK exam. The government will require all agencies to give casual workers a proper wage, in line with the local minimum wage.

In the meeting, President Joko Widodo said that all government agencies and educational institutions were not to appoint any more casual workers as part of the government’s plan.

Muhadjir said his ministry would give sanctions on educational institutions that appoint casual workers, in the form of a reduction of allocated funding, including a reduction on school operational funding.

(NTA/DNE)