Let employees decide when to use annual leaves for Eid Al-Fitr, says Indonesia's MOM

On the one hand, it is to give them the freedom to arrange their homecoming for the celebration. On the other, it is to avoid congestion in travels as the government expects the peak to be from 28 to 30 April 2022.

Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) "hopes" that employers will allow their employees to accordingly manage and decide the usage of their annual leaves for the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr celebrations in May 2022.

According to MOM's Secretary-General Anwar Sanusi, this is so that employees are "free to arrange their homecoming" to match with their respective needs and schedule, and to avoid mass accumulation and excessive congestion in travels during the homecoming.

"As stated by President Joko Widodo, this year's Lebaran homecoming is predicted to have millions of people going home. Therefore, we really hope that fellow entrepreneurs can provide flexibility for workers and laborers who are going home to determine the time of their leave in order to avoid the peak of the homecoming flow," he said.

With regard to when exactly the peak will be, the Secretary-General said the government had predicted that it would occur in the period between 28 to 30 April 2022.

As such, it is "hoped" that employees get to determine when to leave work for the homecoming to avoid the peak, and reach home in time for the celebrations even though the government has already issued the joint decree (SKB) — which involves the Minister of Religion, the Minister of Manpower, and the Minister of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform — approving the joint leave of 2022 for Eid Al-Fitr on 29 April, and 4 to 6 May 2022.

SG Anwar also noted that this is facultative for those working in the private sector. Likewise, he hopes that employers will still provide leave for employees who apply for leave to commemorate Eid al-Fitr.

"Of course, we also encourage dialogue between employers and workers/labourers if the timing of this leave is necessary, so that it does not conflict with the provisions in force at the company," he said.

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Image / MOM's Facebook

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