Jakarta: The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) has asserted that its member companies comply with the government regulation that bans employment of children below the age of 18 years old. The stipulation is contained in the article 68 of the law (UU) No. 13/2003 on labor.
GAPKI said that the reality in the plantations is that many palm oil producing companies provide school facilities to accommodate the children of workers and other facilities for social activities in the plantation areas.
“The oil palm growers have been accused of employing children in the oil palm plantations. But we’re grateful that the reality we see in the plantations refutes such accusation. It’s baseless,” GAPKI’s Manpower Division Chief Sumarjono Saragih said during a ceremony to celebrate the world children’s day on 12 June 2020, which has been declared by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as a global movement to fight against child labor.
ILO reported that in 2018 it found 218 million children who work, with 152 million of them being employed as child workers and 73 million of the 152 million child laborers worked in hazardous sectors with high risks.
Sumarjono pointed out that works in oil palm plantations are relatively too heavy for children so that it is impossible for children to accomplish them. Besides, the prevailing regulations in Indonesia ban child employment and those found violating the stipulation are subject to a legal process for punishment in court.
“It’s wrong or even committing suicide if the companies do such thing intentionally,” he said.
Sumarjono attended an online seminar organized by the ministry of manpower, the national development planning board (Bappenas) and ILO, to celebrate the world children’s day on 12 June 2020, which is purported to fight against the child labor. The seminar was attended by 312 participants from various backgrounds.
“The industrial players are so relieved that the child labor accusations leveled against them are wrong. The palm oil image and perception among the public and NGOs are increasingly better,” he said.
“Among global plantations of vegetable oils, only the oil palm plantations which have facilities for children,” said Sumarjono.
He added that the palm oil industries care for children as proven by the fact that they provide school facilities and other public facilities for children. “When we visit oil palm plantations, we can see the education facilities, from kindergarten to elementary school to junior high school. Besides, parents who work in the plantations can entrust their children in the childcare facilities which have playgrounds and provide health services,” he said.
According to him, during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic the palm oil industry has proven itself as a solution, not only as food solution, but also as energy and economic solution as it helps generate the national economy and maintain the social stability as there is no layoff in the industry.
“That means it has prevented new unemployment and poverty which has been one of the factors causing the employment of children,” he said.
Sumarjono noted that 42% of Indonesian oil palm plantations are owned by smallholders. “We, therefore, ask NGOs to establish a synergy to manage the supply chain. Understanding on child labor and local wisdom among smallholders are different from the perspective of NGOs. “Perhaps, there are still issues that are not yet sufficiently accommodated in the government regulations. For such purpose, we need cooperation so that there will be no more wrong accusations,” he said. (*)
Source: Majalah Sawit Indonesia
