Government to look into violation of internship program

ID Nugroho , The Jakarta Post , Surabaya | Fri, 09/19/2008 11:48 AM | National

Authorities in the East Java capital of Surabaya expressed shock over allegations that hotels and fast-food restaurants in the city were employing interns and contract-based workers as permanent employees. Ahmad Syafei, head of the municipal manpower agency, insisted his office had never received any report on the matter. "We will send officers to check and conduct a field inspection. It is a serious violation and a form of labor exploitation if the case is true," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Both the vocational schools supplying the interns and the companies employing them, he said, should be held responsible for such violations. A number of vocational high school students have complained about their employment in fast-food restaurants, including KFC and McDonalds, claiming they did the same jobs with the same working hours as permanent workers, but received only pocket money instead of monthly salaries.

Others said they were employed on a contract basis, only to have the management terminate their employment after a few renewals, with no compensation. A few of the interns, however, said they hoped to improve their competence through these jobs, and said the pocket money would help cover their tuition fees. Most of the interns are below the age of 17.

Labor activists have condemned the practice, calling it a trick used by employers to reduce their overhead. They claim the practice violates the 2003 child labor law, the 2004 child protection law and the 2004 national education law. Ahmad said the municipal education and culture agency should also look into the issue to see if the apprenticeship program was being implemented according to prevailing regulations.

"(The agency) should enhance supervision of apprenticeship programs that are implemented jointly by the vocational schools and companies through a memorandum of understanding," he said. Widjil Septadi, head of the provincial education agency's vocational education division, concurred, saying apprenticeship programs were an effective way of improving students' competence.

"The program is legal. It is endorsed by the government to improve the students' competence in particular fields of work so they will be ready for employment after their graduation," he said, adding the program was being practiced nationwide in all vocational schools. However, he said, such a program should only be held for three months and not six months, much less a year. Its implementation can vary, depending on the respective companies and vocational schools.

"If employers are happy with the interns' performance, they can recruit them following their graduation," he said, adding students usually joined the internship program during their final year of study.