Manpower Ministry Handles 1,461 Eid Allowance Complaints

March 29, 2026 | 08:10 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Ministry of Manpower is processing thousands of worker complaints over alleged violations in the payment of the Eid allowance, or Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR), ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

As of March 25, 2026, the ministry had resolved 173 cases, while 1,461 others were still under review.

Manpower Minister Yassierli said he had instructed governors across the country to follow up on every complaint submitted through the ministry’s THR Command Post and local labor offices.

“I ask governors to immediately deploy labor inspectors to examine every report received, both through the Ministry of Manpower’s THR Command Post and local labor offices,” Yassierli said in an official statement quoted on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

From the complaints received up to March 25, the ministry had issued 200 performance inspection reports, seven inspection notes, and four recommendations.

Earlier, Deputy Manpower Minister Afriansyah Noor said that 102 new complaints were filed by workers between March 21 and March 25, 2026. Under Indonesian regulations, THR must be paid no later than seven days before the holiday.

Since the THR Command Post opened, the total number of complaints recorded by the system had reached 2,443 as of Wednesday, March 25. During the same period ahead of Eid in 2025, the post received 2,415 complaints.

“So the number of complaints this year is still quite high,” Afriansyah told Tempo on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

According to Afriansyah, disputes over THR payments tend to follow the same pattern each year. He said the complaints generally stem from a mix of employer non-compliance and companies’ financial difficulties.

He also warned that if layoffs occur after Eid, the number of THR-related complaints could increase further.

“The THR issues are a combination of compliance and financial problems,” he said. “Our prediction is that complaints or issues regarding THR will never be fully resolved.”

Under Indonesian law, THR is a mandatory benefit that must be paid in full and cannot be paid in installments.

Based on Manpower Ministerial Regulation No. 6 of 2016, employers that fail to pay THR on time are subject to a fine of 5 percent of the total amount owed. The fine does not remove the employer’s obligation to pay the allowance in full.

Employers that fail to pay THR may also face a series of administrative sanctions. Under Government Regulation No. 36 of 2021 on Wages, companies can be penalized with written warnings, restrictions on business activities, temporary suspension of part or all production facilities, or a freeze on business operations.

Bob Azam, chairman of the manpower division at the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said the annual THR controversy is generally driven by the same two factors: compliance issues and corporate financial constraints.

“The THR issues are a combination of compliance and financial problems,” he told Tempo on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

In his view, THR payments have become a longstanding practice, even in parts of the informal sector where enforcement is limited. Still, he said some employers who intend to comply are often constrained by cash flow problems.

Bob also stressed the need for stronger bipartite dialogue between employers and workers to prevent similar disputes from recurring.

“It may look trivial, but this is the basic foundation of a healthy industrial relationship,” he said.

Despite acknowledging that some companies may be struggling financially, Afriansyah said the government would take action against employers that fail to meet their THR obligations.

“Companies that do not comply with the payment requests we issue will face administrative sanctions and fines,” he said.

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