"We call on the government to endorse the bill this year so that the Social Insurance Management Agency can also be established this year,," KSBSI president Mudhofir told the press here on Thursday.
The confederation urged the government to seriously consider and pass into law the bill in connection with the plan to observe International Labor Day or May Day on May 1, 2011.
The endorsement of the bill has been awaited by workers and poor people for a long time, he said.
Mudhofir said the establishment of BPJS was recommended and stipulated in Law No. 40 / 2004 on national social assurance system (SJSN).
In the meantime, the general chairman of the State Enterprise Workers Union Federation, Abdul Latief Alcaff. said that the government and the House of Representatives should consult credible, neutral, objective and competent institutions to discuss the BPJS.
The endorsement of the bill has been demanded by various working class segments of Indonesian society.
"Deliberations on the RUU BPJS have been going for a long time, namely since 2007," Program Coordinator of the People`s Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) Abudl Halim said meanwhile.
He said many people were questioning the fact that the bill had not yet been passed into law until now while the provision of social insurance for citizens was one of the mandates of the Constitution.
Abdul Halim said the bill should be passed soon because various segments of Indonesia`s working population including workers and traditional fishermen badly needed it.
"At present, fishermen and daily workers are still relatively able to survive on their own feet," he said.
He said that a social guarantee for marginalized people like workers and fishermen could not be separated from the political dynamics and various policies in the national level. These policies serve as a reference for various bylaws in the regional level.
Abdul Halim said that at present there were still many policies which did not refer to the fulfillment of the people`s basic prosperity rights. Whereas Indonesia had ratified the United Nations` Universal Declaration of Human Rights, through the adoption of Law No. 39/1999.
(Uu.A014/HAJM/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
