Eliminating the vulnerability of female workers to exploitation in the palm oil and fisheries sectors

JAKARTA (ILO News) – Women are the group most vulnerable to poor working conditions in the palm oil and fisheries sectors. They still face discrimination in terms of wages, social protection guarantees and occupational safety and health (OSH) protection, and are vulnerable to sexual harassment.

To that end, the Director of Labour Norms Inspection Development of the Ministry of Manpower, Yuli Adiratna, emphasized that female workers have the same rights as male workers. However, he admitted, in reality female workers often do low-skilled work with minimum productivity and long working hours and are often unpaid.

“Women workers also bear the brunt of unpaid care work and domestic work responsibilities. Therefore, female workers have the right to receive more protection than male workers,” said Yuli in an online discussion under the theme “Sectoral Dialogue: Gender Equality for Decent and Fair Work in Rural Areas” in Jakarta, on Tuesday (27/2).

The event is a collaboration between the ILO and KataData as well as Magdalene, two leading online media in the country, to commemorate the International Women’s Day which falls on March 8 every year. This discussion discussed the efforts of policy makers and employment actors in promoting gender equality to ensure the achievement of decent work in rural areas.

Yuli further added that the government had created a policy to protect female workers through Law No. 13 of 2003 concerning employment and its derivative laws and regulations which include protection of reproductive function and non-discrimination. The government has also issued a Guideline on Preventing Sexual Violence in the Workplace in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 88 of 2023.

“Through the various tools above, the government aims to ensure that all workers, especially female workers, can work comfortably, especially in labour-intensive industries such as plantations,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lusiani Julia, ILO’s Programme Officer, stated that women’s empowerment and promotion of gender equality are urgently needed to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Indonesia. “In accordance with the SDG motto, No One Left Behind, in an affirmative and protective manner all parties must be involved, especially vulnerable groups including women in rural areas, so that their problems are visible and they also have access to be able to enjoy the benefits of development,” she said.

Sulistri, Secretary General of the Federation of Food Beverage Tourism Restaurant and Hotel Workers’ Unions (FSB Kamiparho), explained that women in the palm oil plantation sector still experience a lot of discrimination. Their status, which is generally freelance, makes them vulnerable to low wages and lack of social protection and OSH.

“If we look, the protection is still far from adequate, because talking about fertilization, for example, involves chemicals, but protection for female workers who do a lot of this work is still lacking and there are no, for example, routine monthly health checks or OSH tools. ” said Sulistri, one of the speakers together with representatives of employer’s associations from the palm oil and fisheries sectors.

However, Sumarjono Saragih, Head of the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) for Employment Division, emphasized that the palm oil plantation industry is committed to protecting female workers. For this reason, GAPKI has prepared a Guideline on the Protection of Women Workers on Palm Oil Plantations, which is in line with the sustainable palm oil movement which prioritizes the rights of women workers on palm oil plantations.

“The Indonesian palm oil industry does not turn a blind eye to protecting and placing women well when working in the palm oil plantation industry. Moreover, this concerns 16 million workers in the plantation sector, including female workers,” said Sumarjono.

Agreeing with GAPKI, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Pole and Line and Handline Fisheries Association, Janti Djuari, stated that women play an important role in managing natural resources, including in the fisheries sector. Therefore, the aspect of women’s protection is an important focus, considering that female workers in the fisheries sector are vulnerable to exploitation.

“So it is necessary to carry out educational programs, especially for female workers who work in the fisheries sector. They generally come from villages or from peripheral areas and have minimal understanding of gender equality and work rights,” said Janti.

For more information, please contact:

Gita Lingga
ILO Senior Communication Officer
Email: gita@ilo.org

Adelin Alexandra
ILO Workers’ Rights Project Officer
Email: alexandra@ilo.org