InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Panel session in Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) conference (RT 2023) discussed about "Labor Unions is Vital Partner in the Next 20". The multi-stakeholder company would be the sustainable palm oil certification institution which would be 20 years in 2024. In the first 20 years, environmental aspects were the materials of discussion to get solution.

For the next 20 years, labor unions would be the partner of RSPO as parts to maintain vital partners in palm oil plantations to get their welfare.

Chairman in Human Resource Development Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), Sumarjono Saragih said social dialogue would be consistently and sustainably be the key to realize sustainable palm oil with the labors.

“By having social dialogue, half of the issue would be solved. It needs to be part of business process. Dialogue would not be effective to get solution on what labors are facing but it would need to get trusted one to another and become the modal to get some breakthrough and same initiatives,” Saragih said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Tuesday (21/11/2023) in Jakarta.

He also mentioned that social dialogue would be way for IPOA heading to sustainable palm oil. As the biggest crude palm oil (CPO) producer in the world, Indonesia would lead and represent it to other producer countries.

Since 2016, IPOA has been starting social dialogue journey. “We are collaboratively cooperating with many organizations well both in international and national level, such as, International Labor Organization, CNV, non-government organizations, such as, Jaringan Serikat Pekerja Indonesia, JAPBUSI,” Saragih said.

As the result, the organizations published a practical guideline book that is good for the female workers and children. Social dialogue bipartite platform ‘JAGA SAWITAN’ was declared by the early of 2023. “The platform would be the history for IPOA and its partners. IPOA is ready to welcome Agenda The Next 20 RSPO,” Saragih said. (T2)