INFOKU, BLORA -The increase in hand-rolled cigarette (SKT) excise duty by 5 percent has worried workers and cigarette companies, because it can have an impact on reducing production and at the same time workers.
In addition, the increase in excise tax does not affect the increase in tobacco prices.
The chairman of the Federation of Cigarette, Tobacco, Food, Beverage Workers (FSP RTMM-SPSI) Blora Mahmudah admitted that he was worried about the increase in cigarette excise tax by 5 percent for SKT.
Because next year will have an impact on reducing factory workers where he works.
"As workers, we are worried that there will be a reduction in workers, because when the excise tax rises, factories will reduce production, automatically reducing workers," he said.
Mahmudah hopes that there will be no layoffs from the company for cigarette workers. This is because most of the workers are women, and they are the backbone of the family.
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Meanwhile, PT Unggul Jaya Tobacco Factory Representative Jepon Sugiharti revealed that the increase in excise duty could affect production reduction, of course if production decreases it would have an impact on employees. However, for now there is still no policy.
"If production goes down, our target will automatically go down, it could also have the effect of reducing employees too," he said.
Sugiharti gave an example, as a partner in setting production targets from Surabaya, the current target of 700 boxes could be reduced to 500 boxes. What becomes a burden for the company is when production drops while workers are still the same with wages that cannot be reduced.
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"If the target goes down, the work is reduced, if one day the employees can complete 700 boxes when there is a reduction in the target from partners of 500 boxes, but the wages cannot decrease, our swelling is from wages, because wages cannot be reduced," he explained.
The increase in excise tax was also mentioned by the Chairperson of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI), Blora Larso, who revealed that the increase in excise tax would have an impact on tobacco farmers.
This is because the price of tobacco has not been raised. Purchases from companies and farmers are also predicted to decline.
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"The price is the same, it has no impact, of course the company will also reduce purchases from farmers because production is reduced," he explained.
Larso firmly refused to increase the excise duty every year. This is because farmers are also at a disadvantage, especially tobacco farming during the rainy season as it is currently not good for tobacco growth. Many farmers fail to harvest.
"Most of the farmers for the rainy season like now have a lot of crop failures," he said. (Endah/ IST )
