3 April 2017.
Jakarta – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Indonesia Ministry of Manpower are co-hosting a symposium to promote innovation in labour law compliance. The event, which will take place between 4 to 6 April at the JS Luwansa Hotel in Jakarta, will engage some 100 participants from both the public and private sector to share experiences and ideas for innovative, effective labour inspection.
The symposium, which will be officially opened by the Minister of Manpower, is designed to look into innovative strategies to respond to challenges affecting labour compliance. Such challenges include under-resourced labour inspectorates, a rapidly changing labour market and the emergence of non-standard forms of employment.
Indonesian labour partners from unions, government and business will have an opportunity to reflect on recent initiatives to tackle these challenges, including the ‘labour norms expert cadre’ regulation, or KNK, which builds in-factory capacity by requiring a certified labour norms expert in all factories.
Improving labour inspection and labour law compliance has been a top priority for the Directorate General of Labour Inspection Development and OSH, Ministry of Manpower. This symposium provides a key opportunity to discuss a new policy being devloped to reduce compliance risks, contribute to productivity improvements and improve the effectiveness of inspections, while ensuring worker protection.
Participants will exchange views on new ways to foster closer collaboration and ensure decent work for all, drawing not only on national best practices for enhancing labour inspection, but also on developments and lessons learnt from other countries, including the Philippines, Viet Nam and New Zealand.
The ILO will be on hand to share its expertise, including through its experience with Better Work, an international programme run jointly with the International Finance Corporation and dedicated to improving working conditions in global apparel supply chains. Through its engagement of 180 international brands and on-the-ground work in factories – including 200 factories in Indonesia – Better Work will present learning that demonstrates that labour compliance benefits businesses and workers alike.
Representatives from multinational companies in the garment, footwear, palm oil and automotive sectors will also share their perspectives during panel discussions and highlight the contribution of the private sector and options for public-private partnerships.
“The symposium will highlight the importance of innovation and collaboration to developing better workplace compliance,” said Michiko Miyamoto, ILO Country Director in Indonesia. “It’s a chance to explore and strengthen the relationship between the government of Indonesia and its social partners and we hope that the resulting dialogue will pave the way towards modernized and more effective labour inspection,” added Dan Rees, Director of the Better Work programme.