Category Archives: Livelihood

The real fact is that they have follows suggestion from the company to have a medical check-up in Heflors Pharmaceutics in Merauke Town. The company officials said that is one of the basic requirements –beside formal education certificate and recommendation from local police that they not involved in any crimes– for their promotion from Irregular Daily Worker (Buruh Harian Lepas –Ed) to regular worker under a Definitive Period Working Agreement (Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tetap –PKWT). So, they went to the town but, unfortunately, the Heflors Pharmaceutics was closed for weeks. They called Human Resources Development (HRD) officials of the company to tell about the situation. The official insisted them to wait until the Pharmaceutics re-open and accomplish their medical check-up. They have spent 3 months for waiting but the Pharmaceutics still closed. Finally, they have decided back to the company just to hear the decision that they have been fired.

There is another case of Alex, also a Buepe origin. This man already worked in the company for two years until onde day the officials ask him to submit new application with similar requirements: formal education certificate, police recommendation, and medical chek-up report. The problem is Alex not have formal education certificate since he never accomplished even elementary school. After three months unsuccessfully accomplished all of the requirements, Alex reported back to his direct supervisor in the company. The supervisor told him to explain the problem to HRD who, in turn, told him that he must settled it with his direct supervisor. Tired with that kind of ping-pong game, finally, Alex was gave up and been fired off. Alex and those other five fellows now back to their traditional life as hunters and gatherers.

All of these cases is contradicted with the promises of the company. Before, the company always told us that they will appointed local villagers as workers without any requirements. Now, they asking us to fulfill such requirements, including a minimum secondary high level education certificate. This is really difficult since almost of us here only reach up or even many have dropped-out at elementary school level. In other words, the company has actually have cheated us!

It was similar with other promises of the company to build village roads, houses, schools, clinics, and technical assistance to improve our daily livelihood. When we submitted a proposal to help to rehabilitate our village church, they said that company paid compensation of IDR 3 billions and no more money for that kind of donation. They told us to ask money from Regency government since the company already paid taxes to them.

• Laurens Ket, Villager of Buepe, Merauke.