Susilo Wardani, S.H., S.E., M.Hum., recently took her open doctoral defense at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University, presenting her research titled “Legal Protection for Female Workers in the Legal Relationship Between Companies in the False Eyelash and Plasma Industries in Purbalingga Regency” on Friday (February 27).
For this doctoral defense, the supervisor was Prof. Dr. Ari Hernawan, S.H., M.Hum., and the co-supervisor was Prof. Dr. Agustinus Supriyanto, S.H., M.Si., while the examining committee consisted of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fauzan, S.H., M.Hum., Irna Nurhayati, S.H., M.Hum., LL. M., Ph.D., Dr. Hariyanto, S.H., M.Kn., Dr. Murti Pramuwardhani Dewi, S.H., M.Hum., and Adrianto Dwi Nugroho, S.H., Adv.LL.M., LL.D., who served as the chair of the examination committee.
In her dissertation, the doctoral candidate explained that the majority of female contract workers in the false eyelash industry in Purbalingga Regency are still underpaid, work beyond normal hours (overtime), are overworked, lack social protection, and have no guarantee of a decent income in the long term.
“Upon analysis, the home-based work model in Purbalingga Regency resembles the Putting Out System (POS). However, because home-based workers operating under the POS system remain largely invisible, this results in substandard working conditions,” explained the doctoral candidate.
Furthermore, the doctoral candidate explained that the regulation of home-based workers as a form of formal employment still faces legal obstacles. The definition of an employment relationship in Article 1, point 15 of the Labor Law (UUK) does not yet fully apply to home-based workers. On November 25, 2020, the issue of “plasma” workers became a topic of public debate among the candidates for Regent and Deputy Regent of Purbalingga, as many “plasma” workers and collectors of agricultural produce lacked business licenses and legal status. The UUK also does not specifically address home-based workers. Based on her research, Purbalingga Regency’s local regulation on plasma workers is based solely on agreements between plasma employers and their workers. To date, the UUK has been effective only in protecting workers in the formal sector, but not in the informal sector—particularly female plasma workers.
This doctoral dissertation aims to analyze the legal relationship between false eyelash companies in Purbalingga Regency and their subcontractors to determine whether these subcontractors provide legal protection for female workers; the policies of the Purbalingga Regency local government that provide legal protection for female workers at subcontractors in the false eyelash industry; and the regulatory framework governing the legal relationship between false eyelash companies and their subcontractors, as well as the relationship between subcontractors and female workers at subcontractors in the false eyelash industry in Purbalingga Regency.
During this open defense, Susilo Wardani, S.H., S.E., M.Hum., successfully defended her research findings and was declared to have passed with a grade of A- and the distinction of “highly satisfactory.” It is hereby announced that Susilo Wardani, S.H., S.E., M.Hum., is the 256th doctoral candidate to pass the examination at the UGM Faculty of Law and the 5,918th doctoral graduate of Gadjah Mada University. 
Author: PDIH
Editor: Public Relations
