271
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Palm Oil Plantations: Nowhere to Escape

 

Abstract

Although palm oil plantations have been there in Indonesia for a century, the laborers who work on them have seen insignificant change compared to workers in other sectors, especially in industry. As of the colonial era, growers have imposed huge work targets and fines. They have also engaged in arbitrary treatment of labor and imposed unfair wage systems. These practices have led to social and environmental conflicts and greatly impoverished the plantation workers. Instead of providing assistance to them, the government perpetuates the company practices by failing to impose regulations to protect plantation laborers. This has also impacted the lives of women and children adversely. Poverty often forces generations of families to work on the plantations. The welfare of plantation workers needs to be addressed in order to empower them to reclaim their rights as labor and as human beings.

Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia

Meskipun perkebunan kelapa sawit di Indonesia telah berumur 100 tahun, namun peningkatan kualitas hidup buruh perkebunan tidak signifikan dan sejalan dengan kemajuan yang telah dicapai oleh sector lainnya terutama sector industry. Sejak era kolonialisme, buruh ditempatkan didalam perkebunan oleh pengusaha perkebunan kelapa sawit dan diberikan target kerja yang tinggi, membayar denda-denda, perlakuan sewenang-wenang dan pengusaha menerapkan sistem upah yang tidak adil. Praktik-praktik ini menyebabkan konflik sosial-lingkungan dan telah memiskinkan masyarakat buruh perkebunan. Pemerintah juga tidak menunjukan keberpihakannya kepada buruh perkebunan dengan gagal melahirkan undang-undang untuk melindungi buruh perkebunan. Hal ini berdampak negatif juga pada kehidupan perempuan dan anak-anak. Kemiskinan bahkan memaksa keturunan buruh untuk bekerja kembali di perkebunan sebagai buruh. Kesejahteraan buruh perkebunan perlu diperhatikan untuk memberdayakan buruh perkebunan sehingga mereka mampu untuk menuntut hak-haknya se- bagai buruh dan mahluk hidup.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.