As you’re hopefully aware of by now, Indonesians are going to the polls today for the (almost) nationwide regional elections taking place in 171 areas of the country.
Even though it was announced at nearly the last minute (as was the case in nationwide regional elections in years past), the central government decided on Monday to make today into a national holiday so that citizens could freely exercise their voting rights.
Many corporations obviously cried foul over that last minute announcement, especially following the lengthy Eid holiday peiord that ended last week. To ensure that employees’ liburan rights were respected, the Manpower Ministry warned employers that they would have to pay overtime if their employees worked today.
“For workers who are working on election day, they are entitled to overtime pay and other rights that they are normally entitled to if they work during any government-mandated national holidays,” Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri wrote in a circular, as picked up by Kompas today.
Furthermore, should employees have to work today, Hanif’s circular instructed employers to allow employees some time off during the day so they can go to the polling booths and vote.
Overtime laws and compensation vary from region to region.
Residents from 171 regions, including 17 gubernatorial elections and 39 mayoral elections, are going to the polls throughout Indonesia today. Some of the most notable elections include the West Java, Central Java and East Java gubernatorial elections. Jakarta’s satellite cities of Tangerang, Bekasi and Bogor are also going to choose new mayors.
Indonesia is still in the process of standardizing the date of its regional elections, with the aim of having every regions in the country hold their election on the same date starting in 2027. Therefore, expect more holidays for regional elections in the near future.
The next official public holiday for an election will be for the presidential and general elections on April 17, 2019.
