Legal Literacy - Every day, thousands of Indonesians resign from their jobs. Most do so with one common belief:if you resign on your own, you won't get anything. That belief is not entirely true - and in many cases, it actually costs employees millions of dollars.

Indonesian labor law provides a number of rights that remain with employees who resign, regardless of whether or not they notified the company a month earlier. The problem is that this information is rarely communicated by HRDs, and workers who don't know won't sue.

This article sets the record straight - from what your company is obligated to give you, to what you are not entitled to when you resign, to what you can do if your rights are not met.

What you must accept when you resign

1. Severance Pay

This is the most unclaimed right because it is the most unknown. Based on Article 50 Government Regulation Number 35 of 2021 concerning Fixed-Term Employment Agreements, Outsourcing, Working Time and Rest Time, and Termination of Employment, permanent employees (PKWTT) who resign and fulfill the applicable procedures are entitled to this right entitled to separation pay.

The amount of separation pay is not set in stone in the law-it is determined by the employment agreement, company regulation, or collective labor agreement. This means that if your company does not include separation pay in any document, it does not mean that the right is lost. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Manpower in his official explanation emphasized that the absence of a clause in company regulations does not remove the employer's obligation to pay separation pay. If there is no specific provision, the amount is settled through deliberation between the employee and the company.

What you can do: check your employment agreement and company regulations. Find the separation pay clause, write down the amount, and make sure it is paid before the last day of work.