Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – At least 4,200 contract midwives from the National Village Midwife Forum (Forbides) from across the country plan to stage a protest against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Health Minister Nila Moeloek over uncertainty of their employment status.

The rally was planned after the midwives were informed that they had not passed the civil servant selection test. They claimed the decision went against a memorandum of understanding (MoU) promised by the government on the promotion of 38,000 village midwives to civil servants.

"We have coordinated with the members of Forbides all across Indonesia and we will demand the government to realize their promise. There were midwives that did not pass the selection [test] even though they had been working for more than 10 years. This is not fair," Banyumas Forbides chairperson Tevia Ari Mustikarini said on Friday.

She said one of the commitments of the MoU was to promote the 38,000 midwives as contract civil servants and then as regional employees, with no enforcement of an age restriction. As many as 4,200 midwives over 35 years old were declared to have failed the test because of their age.

The midwives claimed the process was unfair as they had gone through the entire selection procedure.

Meanwhile, Banyumas Employment Office head Achmad Supartono said the 2012 regulation on contract civil servants stipulated that the age limit for servants was 35 years old. Those that did not pass the selection test would be hired as contract workers. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/03/04/thousands-of-midwives-to-stage-protest.html