The religious holiday bonus (locally known as THR, which stands for Tunjangan Hari Raya) is probably on most people’s minds right now as we near the Lebaran holiday. All full-time Muslim employees (employees of other faiths get their THR before their respective religious holidays) in Indonesia are entitled to THR before the start of Idul Fitri, but what happens if employers fail to give it to their employees?
Hoping to avoid that scenario altogether, the Manpower Ministry recently enacted harsh new sanctions on all employers who withhold THR from their employees. The decree states that all corporations and employers must pay their employees’ THR seven days before Lebaran at the very latest, or face being fined 5% of their employees’ THR value, to be paid to the employees.
“We hope this rule will be followed immediately,” said Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri, as quoted by Metro TV.
The Manpower Ministry has also set up a complaint center where employees can report their companies for withholding their THR. The center is located in the Manpower Ministry’s office on Jalan Gatot Subroto and is open from 8am-5pm and 9am to 4pm during the Lebaran holiday.
Alternatively, people can still make complaints through many of the official channels the ministry has provided, including via telephone (021 525 5859), Whatsapp (0821 1332 7305), email (poskoTHR2016kemnaker@gmail.com) and Twitter (@KemnakerRIdan, @DitjenPHIJSK).
