THR "Ojol", Maxim Urges Ministry of Manpower to Provide Clarity on Regulations

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The online transportation service application company, Maxim, urges the Ministry of Manpower to issue a policy regarding the provision of holiday allowances or THR for driver partners in accordance with regulations. So far, Maxim plans to provide social assistance to driver partners as part of the company's social campaign.

"Regarding the discussion on providing THR to driver partners, we hope that the Ministry of Manpower can provide an objective decision based on the applicable Manpower Law. Currently, we have taken part in the discussion to support driver partners as gig-workers, a form of labor outside of an employment relationship," said Maxim Indonesia Public Relations Specialist Yuan Ifdal Khoir in a written statement, Monday (2/17/2025), in Jakarta.

According to Yuan, the management can understand that approaching Ramadan and Eid, the needs of driver partners will increase. Currently, Maxim Indonesia's management is focused on conducting social campaigns by providing social assistance to driver partners in various cities in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, regarding the demonstration by online transportation drivers (online motorcycle taxis or ojol) in front of the Ministry of Manpower office, Yuan said that the action did not affect Maxim services. Maxim can still be used normally and consumers can still access various services on the Maxim application as usual.

Regarding the news of deactivating the application to encourage many drivers to join the protest, he explained that the call did not come from the management, but rather from the drivers' initiative. Maxim management in Indonesia does not support protest actions that disrupt public order.

"We have never given any orders or appeals to drivers to deactivate the application. On the contrary, we urge them to continue serving consumer needs so that they can still earn an income and are not easily provoked during demonstrations," said Yuan.

Separately, the Chairperson of the Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPAI), Lily Pujiati, opined that the incentives from the application providers have not improved the welfare of the drivers because they actually force the drivers to continuously work without rest, exceeding the 8-hour work limit stipulated by the Labor Law.

"Online motorcycle taxi drivers, for instance, are compelled to work 17 hours a day, or even more, to earn incentives. The uncertain wage per order turns out to be the result of the applicator's algorithm calculations," said Lily.

Responding to the demands of application companies and online motorcycle taxi drivers, Minister of Manpower Yassierli stated that his office will issue technical regulations on the provision of holiday allowances in the coming days. Currently, the substance of the regulation is in the finalization stage.

"Give us time to finalize the technical regulations for providing THR. In line with this step, we also encourage applicators to make Ramadhan and Lebaran a momentum to build good cooperation with drivers," he said in an audience with dozens of online motorcycle taxi drivers, online taxis, and logistics couriers in the lobby of the Ministry of Manpower office in Jakarta, Monday, at 13.00-14.00.

According to Yassierli, since the beginning of his term, President Prabowo Subianto has mandated that the protection of platform workers, including online motorcycle taxi drivers, be a priority. His party has also invited experts and the International Labor Organization (ILO) several times to discuss the right regulations to protect them.

"We also learned how other countries have already given certainty to the status of platform workers who have been called partners. Indonesia will eventually reach that stage too," Yassierli said.

Yassierli added that the Ministry of Manpower's current homework is to create regulations that provide certainty about the status of platform workers, including application-based transportation service workers. The hope is that when the regulation is completed, the THR polemic for online motorcycle taxi drivers will no longer arise every year.