Indonesian workers

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, November 6 (IslamOnline.net) - Indonesian workers are excited with the news that the government has urged local firms and industries to pay early allowances to them ahead of the Eid el Fitr festivals set for the end of this moth despite the economic difficulties in the country.

“My paycheck is already here, I got two months pay this month, and that is great because it includes the yearly bonus,” Nozita, an executive at a large Indonesian firm in Jakarta said in an interview with IslamOnline.net.

She added that smaller firms and industries in the province of Java would surely pay their workers before they go for ‘lebaran’, which is the other way the Indonesians call the Eid el Fitr.

Manpower and transmigration Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea urged employers to keep to the tradition of paying allowances and bonuses in advance to Muslim workers so that they may prepare for the Eid, reported the Jakarta Post on Tuesday, November 4.

The minister also said that despite the economic difficulties in the country, Muslim workers were to be given their annual bonuses earlier.

"I appeal to all employers to pay the annual bonus to Muslim workers on November 11, two weeks before Eid el Fitr, so that they can leave for their home villages to celebrate the great religious event with their own families joyfully," he told The Jakarta Post.

The newspaper added that Eid el Fitr will fall on November 25 and the annual exodus of workers from Jakarta to other destinations within the country would start by the 11^th of this month.

The annual exodus is a fascinating moment for workers in Jakarta, struggling to get their tickets in advance to catch the train, bus or car rides and some even booking their plane tickets way in advance in a bid not to miss the celebrations in their home towns or villages.

Those from industrial zones in Java normally head to their home villages around two weeks before the Eid to join the celebration with their families. Some of the journeys may be as long as 3 to five days, deep in the Java Island.

Others have to travel by train then by ferry to their homes in other provinces, as far as Riau or Sumatra and Kalimantan, IslamOnline.net was told by one of the workers who are leaving soon for his village Medan.

Most workers IOL spoke to said they will spend some of the money on gifts or other household materials that they would carry with them to their home towns, villages or cities.

“It is a moment of joy but it is also one of shopping, spending, it is hard to save this money at this juncture,” said Rishad, who works at a local bank.

He said that most of the workers would buy essential things for Eid, but many would also buy gifts for their wives, mothers, parents and children.

“People wait for this huge sum of money, sometimes more than double the salary for executives and at times just the double of a salary for other workers, he added.

“This helps them boost their Eid el Fitr experience with shopping and all. One can go to shopping malls and complexes and see how much the people would be spending from now on,” he added.

Dire Economic Situation

In Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia, it is a reality that companies pays their bonuses in advance; however Minister Wea made the speech in conjunction to the dire economic situation in Indonesia.

The minister said Indonesia’s economy had suffered with the war on terrorism and that many of the companies in Indonesia had their activities slowed since they were dependent on the United States' economy.

The U.S. economy, he added, had taken a dive following Washington's military attack on Afghanistan and Iraq, affecting those companies.

He also pointed out that the slow business climate in Indonesia due to terror threats and other insecurity reasons have negative influences on business in the country, causing serious unemployment problems.

He, however, believed that employers still had a strong commitment to put aside a part of their decreasing annual profit to help avoid possible unrest among workers.

In Indonesia, workers have strong solidarity on Union fronts and in case of delays in their salaries, there may be strikes and demonstrations in protest, thus causing more trouble for the economy.

The workers were confident that they would get their bonus before they leave for their home towns, another worker involved in unions in Jakarta said to IOL.

A Ministerial Decree No. 4/1994 stipulates that in observance of religious holidays, workers employed for three months or more have the right to receive an annual bonus equivalent to one month's gross salary, including fixed allowances.

It stipulates that the annual bonus is to be paid seven days before Eid el Fitr for Muslim workers, seven days before Christmas for Christians, seven days before the Hindu Day of Silence for Hindus and seven days before the Buddhist Day of Enlightenment for Buddhists.