"There are about 89 million workers in informal sector but they are ignored, and therefore with a number of figures we have declared the Federation of Independent Workers (FPM)," FPM Chairman Toto Utomo Budi Santosa said here on Monday.
According to him, the independent workers were working in informal sectors which are not tied to formal working relationship between them and their employers, and thus they become their own bosses.
During the economic crisis in 1998, the independent workers proved they could survive and absolutely did not become a burden to the State budget.
"The independent workers in informal sectors have so far been marginalized without getting their normative rights, although they are the backbone of the state," said the secretary general of the Social Affairs Ministry.
Toto said the number of workforce consists of elementary and secondary school graduates, formal and informal workers.
Average wage for formal workers is no less than Rp1.4 million per month, while that for non formal workers is just one fourth of Rp1.4 million.
"Indonesia has 52 million units of medium small businesses, and 40 million of which find it difficult to access banking capital credit," Toto explained.
Therefore he said the Federation of Independent Workers was established to improve their welfare in informal sectors.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
