Five companies signed a commitment and established the Indonesia Business and Disability Network (IBDN) in Jakarta on 16 December 2016. The signing and the establishment of the IBDN coincided with the month of the disability awareness in December.

The five companies that have jointly established the IBDN were PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk, PT L'Oréal Indonesia, Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, PT TetraPak Stainless Engineering and PT Trans Retail Indonesia. The IBDN was established jointly with support from relevant partners, such as disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs), the Ministry of Manpower, the ILO and the National Social Security Provider for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan).

Their main mission was to encourage business communities in Indonesia to be more inclusive and conducive for diversity through exchange of information and experiences as well as sustainable and mutually beneficial programme collaboration between companies.

“Looking at the improvements made in terms inclusivity in Indonesia, I believe the Network would be able to become a forum for sharing and learning between employers to build one inclusive, conducive and equal working environment. Through this Network, people with disabilities could be more aware of the employment opportunities where they could develop their working career in accordance with their capabilities, interests and talents,” said Francesco d’Ovidio, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia.

In addition, the Network also commits to foster efforts aimed at preparing the business sector to be more inclusive, facilitate active roles and preparedness of people with disabilities to work, carry out merit-based recruitment of people with disabilities using mechanism that are equal and friendly with diversity, and encourage creative programmes that can improve both company’s competitiveness and the independence of people with disabilities.

Supporting the establishment of the IBDN, Sapto Purnomo, Deputy Director for Vulnerable Labour Placement of the Directorate of Domestic Manpower Placement of the Ministry of Manpower, appraised the efforts taken by companies to facilitate the absorption and placement of workers with disabilities to the workplaces.

“The Ministry of Manpower strongly supports the IBDN. We would further socialize this Network as means of support to expand this knowledge and experience sharing platform to companies at the provincial and city levels. Many companies in the region are not yet aware about disability and inclusivity issues at the workplace,” he said.

Irawan Mulyanto, a staff of private television station Metro TV who is also the co-founder of Kartunet.com, an interactive website for blind, said that people with disabilities still struggle against stigma that they are not capable and competent. Blind people, he added, are stigmatized for only being capable of performing jobs related to massage.

“We are capable of performing any jobs accordance to our skills and competency. People with disabilities can adapt to business world and the fact is that workplace adjustments are not expensive and can even be done without any cost. Thus, treat us equally. We are competent as others. We also want to be able to contribute to the society, the economy and, especially, to our family,” demanded Irawan.

With the official signing of the establishment of the IBDN, the network has been automatically be a member of ILO Global Business and Disability Network. This global network has members of multinational enterprises, employers' organizations, business networks and disabled persons' organizations in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Bangladesh.

The establishment of the IBDN was also a response to the new 2016 disability data released by the University of Indonesia. Out of 12.15 per cent people with disabilities in Indonesia, only 51.12 per cent participate in Indonesia’s labour force, which is much lower compared to people without disabilities at 70.40 per cent. Moreover, there are more people with disabilities that work in the informal sector (65.55 per cent) rather than formal sector (34.45 per cent).

Promoting inclusivity at the workplace: Commitments of the founding companies of the IBDN
PT Tetra Pak Stainless Equipment (TPSE): Inclusive facilities
Employing more than 500 people, Tetra Pak is committed to provide inclusive facilities for workers with disabilities. The company has promoted and included persons with disabilities. Through the network, they aim to hire more workers with disabilities and provide facilities that cater the needs of workers with disabilities. Since 2002, the company has had three workers with disabilities working as engineering, master data and warehouse staff.
PT L'Oréal Indonesia: Disability sensitivity at the workplace
L’oreal Indonesia has focused on raising the awareness of and empowerment of its employees on disabilities. Since 2013, the company has conducted a series of events on diversity talk and disability sensitivity for its employees. The main aim of these activities was to provide disability sensitivity to employees and ensure good working relations, including for workers with disabilities. These activities were jointly conducted with relevant partners, such as disabled persons’ organizations and the ILO. To date, the company has employed five workers with disabilities.
PT Bank Mandiri (Persero): Fair and equal recruitment
To date, PT Bank Mandiri has employed 41 workers with disabilities and they had undergone the same recruitment process like other workers. In addition to the regular recruitment, they also provide an apprenticeship programme where people with disabilities receive specific trainings related to their working area and are assigned with duties to further apply what they have learnt and got the job experience. In addition, the company has also provided a friendly-banking service for customers with disabilities.
PT Trans Retail Indonesia: Inclusive training and curriculum
PT Trans Retail have conducted an inclusive programme called “Program Angkatan Kerja Luar Biasa (Program Angkasa)” since 2014 in eight big cities, aimed to recruit more workers with disabilities. So far the company has employed 188 employees and have awarded a Disability and Workplace award by the Government of Indonesia in 2014. Through this programme, the company has provided a training programme using a tailored-made training curriculum that caters the needs of workers with disabilities. The training programme have been conducted using a sign language as 95 per cent of workers with disabilities in the company are deaf.
Standard Chartered (Stanchart) Bank Indonesia: Equality at the workplace
Stanchart Bank Indonesia has focused on creating an inclusive and equal employment policy. All workers, including its eight workers with disabilities, must undertake 12 modules of e-learning and they have to follow the same regulations. The company also involves all employees, without any exception, in all company’s programmes and activities. For the inclusivity programme, a special programme has been developed called champion of diversity and inclusion. In addition, the company has applied an adjustment workplace programme for all new office or renovated office buildings.