THR, Annual Blessings for Many Needs

Ramadhan has arrived, and Idul Fitri is just around the corner. The distribution of holiday allowances, commonly known as THR, becomes the annual "blessing" most eagerly awaited by workers ahead of Lebaran.

For workers, the holiday allowance is relied upon for many matters. Some use the allowance to cover the costs of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which are not inexpensive. These include expenses for traveling back to one's hometown, giving Eid envelopes to relatives, as well as shopping for new clothes and gifts for the family.

Amid the sluggish economic conditions and the purchasing power of the public that has not fully recovered, holiday allowances are also used to help workers "make ends meet" when their salaries are running low. Some individuals even set aside their holiday allowances for savings.

This year's holiday allowance policy is slightly different from usual. This time, online motorcycle taxi drivers and online couriers are also receiving holiday allowances, referred to as holiday bonuses (BHR).

Nevertheless, not all groups of workers have received their entitlement to holiday allowances, such as domestic workers who are still excluded from receiving them, as well as some factory laborers.

For Rikha Khulafaurus (36), a civil servant from Jakarta, this year's holiday allowance will be used for several purposes at once. She plans to allocate her allowance for her parents, siblings, as well as for snacks during her trip home to Blitar, East Java.

However, she will still set aside her THR money to save in the form of cash or mutual funds. "Although it is a little, I still think there needs to be something set aside to save from this year's THR," said Rikha.

It is a different story for Sri Rahmawati (46), a garment worker in Cilincing, North Jakarta. For her, the holiday allowance is entirely used to cover expenses for the festive day and to share with relatives, parents, and in-laws.

The location of her hometown far away in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, makes Rahma not go home very often during Eid. Moreover, the cost to Bima is quite expensive.

"I rarely go back to my hometown, maybe once every 3-4 years, so I can save money for transportation costs with my family," he said.

Rahma said, the presence of THR is very important for workers. "Celebrating the holidays with family, gathering with family in the village, that is a big hope for every worker," she said.

He hopes that in the future the government can tighten supervision for employers who do not pay THR on time according to workers' rights. Because, almost every year, there are cases of workers not receiving THR or being late in receiving THR.

"Not all companies do that, but there are also many naughty entrepreneurs every year. This year there are also indications of (payment) being delayed, of course the impact will be that workers' purchasing power will decrease greatly," said Rahma, who is also an administrator of the Federation of Indonesian United Trade Unions (FSBPI).

Irsalina Dian Ardiani (23), a private employee in Jakarta, recently received THR. Although what she received was only 60 percent of her income, she did not have a problem with it. This is because, in one year, Irsa receives THR twice with the same amount.

"It just so happens that this is also a holiday that I celebrate, so the first allocation is to share THR money with my nephews. In addition, it is set aside for savings too. Then the rest is to buy desires, such as Eid clothes or buy small cakes for home," he said, Sunday (3/16/2025).

Meanwhile, Onta (37), who has become an online motorcycle taxi driver from Tangerang City, Banten, has just received information that he also has the opportunity to receive THR as an online driver partner.

Since he first became an online driver partner in June 2024, he had never heard news that online motorcycle taxi drivers also received holiday bonuses from the application.

This news was broadcast after the government through the Ministry of Manpower issued a circular appealing to application-based transportation service companies to provide holiday bonuses (BHR) to online transportation drivers.

However, according to him, the requirements to get BHR are quite difficult. For example, driver partners must complete 250 orders in a month, must work 9 hours a day with an achievement of 90. In addition, the driver's rating must also be good and not violate the code of ethics.

"So, if I want to get (BHR), I have to try to reach that target. If I can, it's enough for motorbike service and living expenses," said Onta.

Not all workers receive THR. Domestic workers (PRT), for example, many have not received the annual right.

Jumiyem alias Lek Jum (50), a domestic worker from DI Yogyakarta, said that she had not received THR many times while working as a domestic worker. "I went to my employer, but the employer was not willing to give me THR. He said, you're just a maid, why are you asking for THR," he said.

He said that other domestic workers were only given holiday packages in the form of bread, syrup, and cooking oil. There were also those who received THR money of half or a third of their salary.

"This is because domestic workers do not yet have legal regulations. Domestic workers are still considered as servants so they do not have the right to receive THR," said Jumiyem.

This year, she received THR of one-third of her salary of Rp 900,000. Thus, the THR received by Jumiyem was Rp 300,000. "I used the THR money to cover my Lebaran needs," she said.

According to him, THR is very important for domestic workers because it can be used for family needs in welcoming Lebaran. He hopes that in the future all domestic workers can get THR with a value equivalent to one month's salary and given a week before Lebaran.