Employees Laid Off, Unemployment Rises
BANYUWANGI – The fish famine season in Muncar not only affects fishermen's income. A number of entrepreneurs who rely on fish as raw material also feel the impact of the fish crisis. Employers are forced to lay off some employees, because there is no fish they produce. Even a number of factories have also closed or not operating .
Chairman of the Fish Canning and Casting Association (APPI) Banyuwangi, Yulia Pujiastuti, 70, disclose, from 20 current members, just stay 10 only factories that are still actively operating. While the rest are closed because there are no raw materials that can be processed.
“Factories that are still operating and surviving get imported fish raw materials and supplies from outside the region. That's a limited number," he explained. Factory still operating, continued Yulia, because they still have sufficient capital for production. Especially, now the price of imported fish is more expensive than fresh fish obtained directly from Muncar fishermen. So that, factories with minimal financial conditions were forced to close and lay off a number of employees.
"The new unemployment rate in Banyuwangi from the fisheries industry sector reaches approx 50 percent more," he said. This number does not include those who are not registered with APPI members. Even though the number of fish canning in Muncar reaches 13 factory and fish farm amounted to 25 factory in total 38 factory.
Not again, pabrik coldstorage, transfer, salting, locksmith (es), and the amount of smoker is quite high. “The impact of the fish famine in Muncar contributes to the new unemployment rate in Muncar,” he explained. With that condition, He hopes that the Banyuwangi Regency Government can provide a solution.
Especially for fishermen, factory employees and all sectors related to fisheries in Muncar, starting from fish transport workers, ice pack, transfer, salting, and fish smoker. Yulia Pujiastutik explained, if the catch of fish in Muncar is crowded, an average fish cannery can employ a range of employees 700 people up to a thousand people workforce.
As for the fish flour factory, requires a range of employees between 200 people until 300 workforce people. “If fully calculated, The new unemployment rate in Banyuwangi due to the fish famine in Muncar reaches thousands of workers,” he added.
The same thing was also expressed by the Director of PT. The source of the ocean, David Tjoek Wijaya. According to him, if the condition of the fish caught by Muncar fishermen is abundant, the number of workers in his canning factory could reach 1.500 workforce people.
This number comes from various villages in Muncar sub-district, starting from Tambakrejo Village, Thousands of sources, Cloudy, tapanrejo, and part of Srono . District. “If the condition of Muncar fish is abundant, Our employees are added with a piecework system and alternate shifts," he said.
However, if the condition of Muncar fish is rare like now, the number of piece workers is also no longer employed. He only streamlined permanent employees who amounted to 200 person, to produce sardines.
"Sometimes when there is no imported fish,, employees also still come in even though they're just cleaning,"he said. (radar)
