We have to work as oil palm plantation workers, because our fishing results have been reduced since the inclusion of the oil palm plantation company and I have to pay for children's schooling, for daily meals. (KH-NN).
The expression from a mother who works as an oil palm plantation worker in a well-known company. It has been 4 years since he worked with the status of a freelance day laborer and his current salary is Rp. 86,000, without any health insurance, rice allowance and so on. Working time of 20 days with total income in 1 month received Rp.1,720,000, when compared to current household needs, in 1 month requires a minimum of Rp.3,000,000.
The above conditions were also felt by a mother who was forced to work as an oil palm plantation laborer in the fertilization section of one of the companies in the district of Sekadau. The mother is still very anxious to tell her condition, worried that the company will be aware of it, because it will be fired if the story of the conditions of the workers with outsiders is any other NGO / CSO. With a soft and slow voice, the mother told me why she finally worked as a laborer including her husband. The father who was tempted by the company's sweet promise, handed over the land to the company with a profit sharing scheme of 80% -20%, which would get the profit sharing without cutting anything, the husband gave me ± 2.5 ha of land, where the land had a productive rubber plant and also food crops, namely rice. The time for profit sharing did not increase in 2007, the profit sharing in 1 month was only Rp. 1000 and this made my heart sad, the profit sharing from year to year did not change significantly, Rp. 1,000 rose to Rp. 2500 and then dropped again, whatever was cut. The discussion between mother and father, finally agreed to work as a garden worker in the company, because the results can be very insufficient for the daily needs and costs of school children. Wages of Rp. 77,250, - work days change, on average 10 days up to 20 working days, if multiplied by 20 working days, the wages received are Rp. 1,545,000, for district UMP Rp. 1,973,425, wages received under the UMP and cannot meet the needs of the day and school fees. In addition, they do not get health BPJS and K3 that are not fulfilled by the company.
Conditions of women
Women are the first to feel the impact of loss of land and the impact of ecosystem damage. For women, taking care of the household cannot be separated from the affairs of the land and ecosystem / environment, because these parts in indigenous and village communities are a series of connected lives. Land that is still controlled and a good environment is a requirement for production, both to meet the needs of food, protein, clean water sources and family economy. Women in indigenous communities and local 80% produce above the ground, cultivating rice and vegetables. Sustainable forests will produce good water, water will flow from forested hills to rock and river crevices which are then utilized by indigenous people / kampong as a source of clean water. The source of clean water is not only for bathing, but also for consumption (drinking and cooking rice and vegetables), to care for children and to be used for traditional rituals.
When land and other natural resources are lost, women must work many times to meet household needs. At 4 o'clock in the morning they have to wake up with a series of work, take care of the household, cook, prepare the food of children and husbands, prepare children's school supplies, clean the house and have to manage the family finances that are lacking (household shopping, children's snacks and school fees), then forced to work as garden laborers to reduce the burden on husbands and increase the cost of family living. By becoming a worker without any guarantees because the status of casual daily workers is added, the wages received are small, while the household needs in 1 month min an average of Rp. 3,000,000 makes the burden even harder. What is felt by women who lose land and natural resources will feel long suffering and will continue to be economically and psychologically depressed.
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