The government also planned to build a number of hospitals exclusively for workers that would operate 24 hours in several cities and provide 200 buses across the country to transport workers to their working sites.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that the government has no political interests with regard to its recent plans to improve the welfare of workers in the country.

"They are fully aimed at making the welfare conditions of workers better. This is based on goodwill, not politics. We are sincere in our efforts to improve the welfare of workers, based on the state`s capacity. Assuring better welfare conditions through policies that carry no political gains is our commitment. If political interests are the basis, mistakes may happen, which can create problems," he said at a limited cabinet meeting on economy here on Thursday.

President Yudhoyono, on the commemoration of International Workers` Day on May 1, said the government planned to implement a number of policies to improve the welfare of labourers, such as proposing to the House of Representatives to raise the non-taxable income level from the present Rp1.3 million a month to Rp2 million.

The government also planned to build a number of hospitals exclusively for workers that would operate 24 hours in several cities and provide 200 buses across the country to transport workers to their working sites.

President Yudhoyono said all the policies were part of the government`s programme and were not linked to political interests.

Opposition Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri called on the government on Thursday to accelerate the implementation of the law on public health insurance programme, which was passed by the House of Representatives at the end of 2011.

"The passage of the law has given new hope to the poor in Indonesia, including labourers," she said in her speech at the commemoration of the International Workers' Day at the party headquarters` parking lot.

The former president stated that the government must be neutral and position itself as a mediator.

Megawati said the income of labourers, farmers, and fishermen was very limited, so they needed the insurance service badly.

She added that the government must ensure that the relationship between employers and workers is harmonious.

Megawati noted that demonstrations by workers showed that the relations were not yet harmonious.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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