The problem of unpaid THR dominates complaints to the Ministry of Manpower

A total of 897 reports or more than 50 percent of the complaints received by the Ministry of Manpower concerned non-payment of THR.

FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Residents choose clothing displayed at one of the shops in Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, on Sunday (9/4/2023). Two weeks before Eid al-Fitr in 2023, residents began to flood Tanah Abang Market to buy new clothes. Some merchants estimate that the peak increase in revenue will occur during Eid al-Fitr as holiday allowances are distributed.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The total number of complaints received by the 2024 Religious Issues Complaints Post, which was opened on April 4-14, reached 1,475 reports. Of this number, 897 complaints or more than 50 percent concerned the issue of unpaid holiday allowances.

"We are still investigating the reasons for complaints about non-payment of THR, whether purely financial reasons or other reasons," said Secretary General of the Ministry of Manpower (Kemenaker) Anwar Sanusi, who was met on the sidelines Ministry of Manpower's halalbihalal interval, Tuesday (16/4/2024), in Jakarta.

Also read: Workers who were laid off a month before Eid still have the right to receive THR

The Ministry of Manpower has opened a complaint center for the 2024 Religious Holiday Allowance (THR) issues since April 4, 2024, one day after the mandatory THR payment deadline, which is April 3, 2024. The center, which is integrated with the THR complaint center owned by the labor offices, will be closed on the 7th day after Eid or Wednesday (17/4/2024).

Regarding unpaid THR (holiday allowance), Anwar continues, the number of complaints received until Sunday (14/4/2024) also includes issues of THR being paid with a nominal amount that does not comply with the regulation (361) and delayed payment of THR (217).

MEDIANA

Secretary General of the Ministry of Manpower Anwar Sanusi after attending the Ministry of Manpower halalbihalal at the Ministry of Manpower office, Jakarta, Tuesday (16/4/2024).

In terms of location, the majority of complaints related to religious holiday allowance (THR) issues come from DKI Jakarta. Out of a total of 1,475 complaints, as many as 462 of them were from DKI Jakarta.

Regarding the follow-up to the resolution of complaints about holiday bonuses, Anwar acknowledged that only 5 percent of the total complaints had been successfully resolved. After all complaint posts have been closed, the Ministry of Manpower, along with the labor departments, will immediately follow up until everything is completely resolved.

Also read: Concerned about THR, contract workers are busy asking the Ministry of Manpower

He did not disclose the target details of when the remaining complaints can be resolved. "Together with the local government, we are trying to resolve the follow-up of the complaints. Sanctions for neglecting THR range from warning letters to business closure," added Anwar.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Residents exchanged their rupiah currency at the mobile bank of Bank Indonesia in O2 Corner, Palmerah Selatan, Jakarta on Tuesday (3/26/2024). Ahead of Idul Fitri 1445 Hijriah/2024, the community began exchanging small change to be distributed during the holiday. Distributing holiday allowances has become a deeply-rooted tradition during the holidays.

Supervision

When contacted separately, member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Robert Na Endi Jaweng, believes that the most important effort the government should take is to monitor payments and follow up on complaints regarding religious holiday allowances. This is because the holiday allowance is a normative right for every worker every year.

"Companies can basically evade their obligations to fulfill workers' rights. "We always ask the government, through labor inspectors, to routinely increase supervision, especially at the moment of determining minimum wages and payment of religious THR," he said.

Endi added that so far, law enforcement against companies that ignore workers' rights is rare. However, if the law enforcement function against violating companies is not implemented, it means that the government only functions as a supervisor.

Also read: Ministry of Manpower Urges Regional Heads to Enforce THR Payments

Meanwhile, labor law observer Tadjudin Nur Effendi believes that several industrial sectors are currently facing a demand crisis due to the global uncertainty impact. For example, the footwear industry. Industrial sectors like this can actually object to paying religious holiday allowances as long as they are accompanied by strong financial evidence.

"The government's decision on sanctions regarding religious holiday allowances (THR) has never been severe (mostly just warnings). I have not observed the government imposing closure sanctions on companies that do not pay religious holiday allowances. I suspect that the government is considering the fate of the workers if a company is forced to close due to not paying THR," he said.