RUU KIA Considered to Lower Women’s Competitiveness in the Workplace

Photo by Thirdman

The Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE) assesses that the RUU KIA will have an impact on the role of women in the workforce, for example, the reluctance of the company to recruit female employees. The issue of leave for six months not only has an impact on the costs incurred by the company but also on the competitiveness  of working women.

“Women in the world of work have had many challenges, one of which is the norm which states the nature of women is to take care of the family. With this RUU KIA, it will further lead to women domestication,” said Maya Juwita, Executive Director of IBCWE.

Maya added that the RUU KIA needs to be studied more deeply because several articles have the potential to return women to the domestic sphere while the campaign regarding the equal distribution of domestic duties between women and men is being intensively carried out in Indonesia.

IBCWE, which supports the empowerment of women economically, has several responses regarding the RUU KIA. First, IBCWE certainly appreciates the proposed extension of maternity leave and paternity leave as a form of State’s attention to the maternity rights of citizens.

Even so, regarding the 6 months maternity leave, IBCWE considers the need for a comprehensive study related to the increase in maternity leave time, associated with the productivity of female workers and its impact on company finances. Additionally, it is necessary to have discussions with business actors including Micro & Small Enterprises regarding business realities regarding implementation mechanisms and their implications including (but not limited to) payment of wages, the sustainability of the company’s business because they have to fill the vacancies, and the preparation of mothers’ returning to work when they finish their leave.

According to the business world, instead of 6 months leave, there are other options that may be beneficial to all parties, both from female workers and companies. For example, a flexible work system that can be taken after three months of leave.

“We have implemented maternity leave for 6 months and employees appreciate this initiative. But what is even more appreciated is the provision of more holistic support, such as a flexible work system, support from colleagues,” said Melissa Sim, Inclusion and Diversity Manager, PT HM Sampoerna, Tbk.

And as a response for paternity leave, IBCWE considers the need for education for prospective fathers regarding their roles and duties when carrying out paternity leave so that the leave can be right on target.

Commissioner of the National Commission for Women, Alimatul Qibtiyah also added that there is a need for clarity on the husband’s assistance leave as well as being paid in full so that the husband does not worry about risking family income when taking time off.

Dept Head of Human Resources Management, PT Pan Brothers, Tbk, Denny Samboh asked the House of Representatives to review the KIA Bill more thoroughly. “Even if this bill wants to be inaugurated as a law, review everything holistically and talk about data, want to talk about stunting, bring the data. If the data doesn’t talk like that, don’t force it. There are still other bills that are already working well, let’s increase the monitoring,” he said.

Previously, The House of Representatives (DPR) RI officially passed the RUU KIA as an initiative bill of the DPR in the Plenary Meeting on June 30, 2022. The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Puan Maharani, said that the RUU KIA will be a guideline for the state to ensure that the children of the next generation of the nation have good growth and development to become superior human resources (HR).

In this RUU KIA, one of the things that the House encourages is 6 months of maternity leave for working mothers. The House also initiated a maximum of 40 days of paternity leave to accompany his wife who had just given birth. In addition, there are also rules regarding the provision of daycare facilities in public facilities and workplaces. The RUU KIA is also one of the efforts to overcome the problem of stunting in Indonesia.

“Through this bill, we want to ensure that every right of mothers and children can be fulfilled. Including the right to health services, the right to get special facilities and infrastructure in public facilities, to the certainty that mothers will still be employed after giving birth,” said Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan.

9 August 2022

Fellicca P. Madiadipura