Many basic principles in the ILO Conventions are already enshrined in the 1945 Constitution. Priority should be given to the ratification of the remaining three fundamental Conventions, namely the Conventions on Forced Labour, on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation, and on Child Labour. We welcome the Government's announcement that it is hoping to ratify these by the middle of next year. Ratification should lead to determined action towards the implementation in practice and reality of the newly ratified Conventions. There must be renewed efforts to ensure that the principles and standards in the Conventions already ratified by Indonesia are applied in a meaningful and consistent way throughout the nation.
Ratification is important but the problem in Indonesia has been implementation and law enforcement.
Indonesia now has 14 registered trade unions at the national level. The Government is developing new legislation, through a process of tripartite plus consultation, to implement the obligations under the Convention. The new Trade Union legislation should be enacted as soon as possible. Also, it is necessary to finalize the other labour reforms, namely the Labour Dispute Settlement Bill and the revision of Manpower Act, through a consultative approach involving tripartite plus groups. There should be established a new Labour Consultative Forum comprising representatives of government, employers' and workers' organizations, NGOs and universities to provide a forum for consultation about labour issues, and laws and international labour standards.