Following the international “Call to action in the garment sector”, a global initiative from the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the International Labour Organization (ILO) described here and here, the actors of the Indonesian garment sector committed to building a collaborative approach in good faith based on social dialogue  and “to unveil more innovative, supportive solutions and various policies/strategies/practices to deal with the pandemic”. 

The signatories of this commitment are: 

• The Indonesian Employers’ Association (APINDO) (IOE Member), the Indonesian Textile Association (API) and the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo) representing the employers. 
• The Textile, Clothing and Leather Federation of the Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Union (FSP TSK KSPSI), the Textile, Clothing and Leather Federation of the All Indonesian Trade Union (FSP TSK SPSI), Garment and Textile Trade Union Federation (FSB GARTEKS) representing the workers of the garment sector. 

The parties aim to achieve the following three objectives: 

• “Ensuring the safety and health of garment and footwear workers/labour in Indonesia and reduce any impact of the crisis to the factories and their workers/labour.  
• Promoting the implementation of the ILO Core Labour Standards, which includes the principle of Freedom of Association as defined by Indonesian law and International Labour Standards.  
• Engaging with other relevant organizations/institutions to support this commitment, including the Indonesian Government, international brands/buyers or other relevant organisations, specifically where support could be provided to suppliers/factories in Indonesia in order to help them maintain jobs and livelihoods of workers/labour, both in the short and long term; as well as implementing a health protocol to avoid transmission of Covid-19 in the workplace”.  

Promotion of compliance with national and international standards and pursuing social dialogue through the existing structures are part of the measures to be undertaken by the parties to achieve the above-mentioned objectives.  

An action plan will follow this initiative with specific commitments both for the unions and for the organisations representing employers.  

“Both Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Deputy Chairwoman of APINDO, and Elly R. Silaban, President of KSBSI, emphasized the importance of the joint commitment to ensure the sustainability of the Indonesian export-oriented garment and footwear industries as one key pillar of the country’s economic fabric. They both also expressed the replication of this joint commitment by other industrial sectors to help the economic recovery.” 

Deputy Chairwoman of APINDO, Shinta W. Kamdani, expressed her appreciation for the social dialogue process initiative and the efforts done by both parties in order to accommodate their own interests. She hoped through this joint commitment that “both employers and workers will be able to convince international buyers, particularly on the global supply chain of garment/footwear, to participate in this joint commitment so that the garment/footwear sector would be more competitive and bring better impact to the employers and workers for garment/footwear export-oriented sectors in Indonesia.” 

She further expressed that “This initiative will hopefully improve the situation of the garment/footwear sector as an export-oriented sector and be more competitive at national, regional, and international levels.”