EBMO Action # 3
Employers Association of Indonesia (APINDO)
Assessed and characterized as a pandemic, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has adversely affected each country across the globe. Amid this outbreak, many sectors and industries suffer losses while employees are at risk of losing jobs.
One significant sector is tourism. In Indonesia, the Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO), Hariyadi B. Sukamdani, mentioned that the tourism sector suffered approximately $1.5 billion losses and is at risk of thousands cancelled visits due to trip and flight cancellations from and to other countries. Tourism is just one of the many industries that is striving hard to cope with the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
As an employer and business membership organization, APINDO bears the brunt of ensuring that its member-companies are able to adapt, and business operation is sustained.
With approximately 5,000 members, the Indonesian Employers Association (Indonesian: Asosiasi Pengusaha Indonesia or commonly known as APINDO) is the officially recognized employer’s organization in Indonesia to deal with industrial relations and human resource development issues. APINDO is headquartered in Jakarta with regional offices across the Indonesian archipelago.
As one of ECOP’s counterparts around the world, the organization works to bargain different issues faced by employers of the country, as well as to bridge the gap between workers and employers.
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, APINDO encourages it members to:
- Strengthen good hygiene practices as well as take related safety precautions by providing hand sanitizers at the office, postponing or cancelling any unnecessary business trips;
- Conduct teleconference meetings instead of holding any events with huge numbers of people; and
- Prioritize working from home (WFH) or working remotely for some sectors to consider workers’ safety.
APINDO also ensures that the members are kept updated by sharing updated laws and policies, particularly during the emergency period through email, monthly reports, and other media tools. Regular benefits for members such as member gatherings and government relations gatherings are rescheduled or moved online.
To alleviate the impact, APINDO is taking the following responses together with the Indonesian government and other stakeholders:
- Formulating its policies while referring to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) which declared the state of disaster emergency status due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
- The APINDO Provincial Board refers to the regulation of local government, particularly on occupational safety and health (OSH) implementation, in its technical policies at the provincial level
- Collaborating with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia) and contributing to the fundraising for the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI)
- Mapping plans alongside the Manpower’s policy socialization in terms of workers and labor protection and business continuity
APINDO, alongside ECOP and other ASEAN countries, is a member of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) which represented by Employers’ Organizations in the ASEAN, to optimize liaison, co-operation and representation in the fields of labor and social legislation, industrial relations and practices among themselves and in relation to the international community.
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