TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The All-Indonesia United Workers Confederation (KPBI) argued that the Job Creation Law is patriarchal and believed that female workers will be the most vulnerable group because of this.

"In this case, female laborers will be the group with no power and will be vulnerable to being suppressed and dismissed. With a patriarchal mindset, the omnibus law on job creation overlooks reproductive work encumbered over women," wrote KPBI's head of the women division, Dian Septi Trisnanti in a written statement on October 8, 2020.

The Job Creation Law's Article 88B that regulates a wage system based on time and achievements clearly hinting at an hourly-based wage system, which is concerned to significantly affect the wages for female workers in situations of menstrual leave, maternity leave, or miscarriage leaves.

"The loopholes for a woman's right for menstrual leave and maternity leave, which are often violated by corporations, are actually not enforced," said Dian.

Hourly wages are also believed to threaten the total amount of pay a laborer receives below the provincial minimum level while the district or city-level wages can potentially be dismissed.

Annual workers' leave will also potentially be erased, which will be a heavy burden for women in general, and mothers who attend for their children's remote-schooling programs the government imposed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

FIKRI ARIGI