"Within a week, there were work accidents that resulted in the deaths of 49 workers at PT Panca Buana Cahaya, one worker in PT Waskita Karya, one in Jakarta International Container Terminal, one in Medan-Kualanamu railway construction, and one in Mulia Ceramic," the alliance stated in a press statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
It noted that the accidents that led to the death of the workers were due to several factors, such as weak supervision by the government, low business concerns, as it considers K3 as part of its cost, and lack of firm sanctions against the violation of K3 rule.
This matter, if not corrected, will make companies continue to ignore K3, which should be guaranteed for workers.
"While investment for industrial development continues to be facilitated by an incentive of 16 government economic policy packages, some 16.6 million industrial workers in Indonesia face an ever-increasing risk of death," the Alliance remarked.
The Alliance viewed the existing K3 regulation to be very obsolete because it was 47 years old, and Law No. 1 of 1970 on Occupational Safety was adopted after being urged by the international community.
The Work Safety Act only has one supportive rule, namely Law No. 3 of 1992 on Social Security of Labor, which, according to the alliance, is also weak in protecting the workforce. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
