Joint Commitment-between Garment/Footwear Trade Unions Federations in Indonesia, APINDO, APl and APRISINDO amid the COVID-19 Crisis:
Collaboration to Protect Safety and Health, Business Sustainability and Welfare of Workers/Labour in the Export-Oriented Garment/Footwear Sectors in Indonesia
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a health and economic crisis across the world in an unprecedented manner, with a negative impact on society, workers/labour and the business world. As part of the global supply chain, the garment and footwear industry in Indonesia is severely hit by the crisis. This situation requires swift and coordinated measures from all stakeholders in global and national supply chains, especially employers, workers/labour, global brands and other relevant stakeholders, government and development organizations. An example of this is the ILO Call to Action in the Global Garment Industry, a global initiative from the International Organization of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In this joint commitment, the representatives of federations of trade unions in Indonesia that represent workers/labour who work in the export-oriented garment and footwear sector, namely The Textile, Clothing and Leather Federation of the Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Union (FSP TSK KSPSI), The Textile, Clothing and Leather Federation of the All Indonesian Trade Union (FSP TSK SPSI), National Trade Union (SPN), Garment and Textile Trade Union Federation (FSB GARTEKS), the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), the Indonesian Textile Association (API) and the Indonesian Footwear Association (APRISINDO), share the same understanding that this gobal pandermic, which is unprecedented, requires a collaborative approach to protect both employers and workers/labour from disease and reduce any escalation of the unemployment rate and the loss of income due to the COVID-19 pendemic. Futhermore, this joint commitment intends to create opportunities for businesses to sustain themselves after the pandemic, through promotion and implementation of social dialogue based on good faith and to unveil more innovative, supportive solutions and various policies/ strategies/ practices to deal with the pandemic.
Considering these principles, the parties, in this joint collaboration, commit to collaborate in good faith to achieve the folowing objectives :
- Ensuring the safety and health of garment and footwear workers/labour in Indonesia ard reduce any impact of the crisis to the factories and their workers/labour
- Promoting the implementation of the ILO Core Labour Standards, which includes the principle of Freedom of Association as defined by Indonesian law and international Labour Standards.
- Engaging with other relevant organizations/institutions to support this commitment, including the Indonesian Govemment, international brands/buyers or other relevant organizations, specificaly where support could be provided to supplers/factories in Indonesia in order to help them maintain jobs and livelihoods of workers/labour, both in the short and long term; as well as implementing a health protocol to avoid transmission of Covid-19 in the workplace.
In order to achieve these objectives, all parties agree to take these following measures :
- Promoting the compliance of occupation all safety and health regulations.
- Encouraging the compliance of relevant laws and regulations, which include guidelines issued by the Government of Indonesia in handling the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in all factories and promoting compliance, generally, in the industry.
- Trade union/labour union and association of employers are strongly committed to overcome common issues in the existing tripartite dialogue structure.
The aforementioned issues will be followed by an Action Plan that will be drafted subsequently and endorsed, in line with the commitment of each party, as follows :
Commitment of the Garment/Footwear Trade Union Federations
The Trade Union Federations who support this joint statement commit to promote safe and healthy workplaces following the regulations and guidelines on COVID-19 as set by the Government of Indonesia and to overcome the impact of the pandemic on business and employment. This includes
- Increasing awareness and encouraging workers/labour to folow the guidelines issued by government, on measures to prevent transmission and respect large-scale social restrictions in and out of the workplace.
- Increasing awareness on the economic impact of the pandemic in this sector and promoting social dialogue at the factory level with the employers to mitigate the crisis.
- Establishing communication with APINDO, API and APRISINDO at the national level to develop joint policy recommendations to address challenges in this sector, to collaborate in conveying the policy recommendations, which may include the possibility of advocating directly with the Government of Indonesia and other relevant organizations/institutions, as a response to the pandemic and; put in place collective measures to reduce the impact of the crisis.
- Encouraging trade union/labour union in the workplace to find solutions through social dialogue.
- Putting in place optimized efforts to maintain a conducive and positive environment to sustain the business, employment and well-being of workers/labour and employers.
Commitment of Employers’ Associations in Garment/Footwear Sector
Employers’ Associations have the commitment to promote safe and healthy workplaces, folowing the regulations and guidelines on COVID-19 as set by the Government of Indonesia and to overcome the impact of the pandemic on business and employment. This includes
- Promoting and monitoring the implementation of the safety measures issued by the government of Indonesia and respect large-scale social restrictions in and out of workplace to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the association’s members (APINDO, API and APRISINDO).
- Increasing the awareness on the economic impact of the pandemic to this sector and promoting social dialogue at the factory level with trade unions and/or representatives of workers to mitigate crisis among the association’s members.
- Establishing communication with trade unions at the national level to develop joint policy
recommendations to address challenges in this sector; to collaborate in conveying the policy
recommendations, which may include the possibility of advocating directly with the Government of Indonesia and other relevant organizations/institutions, as a response to the pandemic and; put in place collective measures to reduce the impact of the crisis.
- Promoting the fulfillment of workers’ rights in line with the prevailing regulations and facilitating association’s members to protect and maintain bipartite and tripartite dialogue for business sustainability.
- Putting in place optimized efforts to maintain a conducive and positive environment to sustain the business, the employment and well-being of workers/labour and employers.
This joint commitment is signed by
Federations of Trade union
FSPTSK KSPSI : Helmy Salim (Chairman), Soegito (Representative FSP TSK KSPSI)
PP FSP TSK SPSI : Roy Jinto Ferianto, E. Kustandi
SPN : Djoko Heriyono (Chairman), Kusmin
FSB GARTEKS : Ary Joko Sulistyo, Elly Rosita Silaban
Employers’ Associations
APINDO : Hanyadi B. Sukamdani (Chairman), Danang Giandrawardana (Executive Director)
API : Iwan Susanto Gunawan, Rizal Tanzil Rakhman
APRISINDO : Eddy Widjanarko
For more information, click Joint Declaration – TU-EA_english
