Late KRL, Salary Deductions, and the Unfair Reality of Commuting

KRL Telat, Gaji Dipotong, dan Realita Komuter yang Nggak Adil

Pagi ini gw bangun lebih pagi dari biasanya. Udah siap-siap, sarapan seadanya, terus jalan ke stasiun. Tapi ternyata... KRL telat. Bukan telat biasa, tapi telat parah. Katanya ada insiden kereta tertemper orang di lintas Bogor–Jakarta.

Gw berdiri di platform, liat layar monitor yang nunjukin perkiraan kedatangan: "Tertunda." Itu aja. Nggak ada estimasi jam berapa. Satu kata yang bikin hati langsung dagdigdug.

Dan di sekitar gw, semua orang juga mulai gelisah. Ada yang nelpon kantor. Ada yang ngechat. Ada yang cuma diem sambil liatin layar HP, kayak berharap tiba-tiba ada keajaiban.

Ya nggak ada keajaiban.

Yang Terjadi: KRL Tertemper Orang

Jadi ceritanya, ada orang atau kendaraan yang masuk ke jalur rel dan ketemper kereta. Akibatnya, sistem pengereman rusak dan perjalanan terganggu total. Ini tuh bukan macet biasa. Ini force majeure. Keadaan darurat di luar kendali siapa pun.

Tapi ya itu, penumpang yang jadi korban.

Gw bayangin aja, orang-orang yang udah bangun jam 4 atau 5 pagi, rela antre, berdesakan, buat sampai ke kantor tepat waktu. Eh, pas udah di stasiun, malah dapet kabar begini. Dan yang lebih parah, pas akhirnya sampe di kantor... ya tetap dianggap telat.

Surat Keterangan Keterlambatan: Beneran Ngebantu?

Nah, gw denger sih dari beberapa orang yang lebih sering naik KRL, katanya kita bisa minta Surat Keterangan Keterlambatan di stasiun tujuan. Tinggal datengin petugas Passenger Service atau area tap out, minta dicetakin.

Surat itu isinya ya keterangan resmi dari KAI bahwa perjalanan kita terganggu karena insiden tertentu. Tujuan utamanya sih buat lampiran dispensasi ke kantor. Biar atasan tau kalo kita telat bukan karena males atau bangun kesiangan.

Tapi pertanyaannya: apakah itu cukup?

Gw sih mikirnya, surat itu ya cuma surat. Nggak ada jaminan kantor bakal nerima. Apalagi kalo perusahaannya tipe yang kaku soal absensi. Mau alasannya apapun, tetep aja dipotong.

Entahlah, gw jadi mikir. Surat itu sebenernya buat siapa? Buat kita yang udah berusaha? Atau cuma formalitas biar KAI keliatan peduli?

Aturan Perusahaan: Hak atau Beban?

Menurut aturan ketenagakerjaan, pemotongan gaji karena keterlambatan itu sah-sah aja kalo diatur dalam Peraturan Perusahaan (PP), Perjanjian Kerja Bersama (PKB), atau Perjanjian Kerja (PK). Jadi dari sisi hukum, perusahaan punya dasar buat motong gaji.

Tapi... apakah itu adil?

Gw lagi-lagi mikir. Kalo kita telat karena kita sendiri yang salah—bangun kesiangan, macet di jalan karena kita nggak pergi lebih awal—ya itu tanggung jawab kita. Wajar kalo kena sanksi.

Tapi kalo telat karena KRL tertemper orang? Ini di luar kontrol kita. Kita udah berangkat lebih pagi. Kita udah usaha. Tapi tetap aja kena. Rasanya kayak dihukum karena sesuatu yang nggak kita lakuin.

Gw jadi inget status-status di media sosial yang sering muncul pas kejadian kayak gini. Banyak yang komplain. Banyak yang kesel. Tapi ya ujung-ujungnya, tetep aja potong gaji. Nggak ada yang berubah.

HRD Bacot dan Realita di Media Sosial

Di komunitas kayak HRD Bacot, banyak banget diskusi soal ini. Ada yang bilang, keterlambatan karena gangguan eksternal itu force majeure. Harusnya nggak dihitung sebagai keterlambatan.

Ada juga yang cerita pengalaman kantornya malah ngasih toleransi. Tapi mayoritas? Ya tetep aja dipotong. Aturan ya aturan.

Gw baca-baca komentar di media sosial, dan rasanya... sedih. Banyak orang yang udah berusaha, tapi tetap aja dianggap salah. Kayak "KRL telat? Itu urusan lo, gw cuma ngeliat hasil absensi lo."

Padahal kita semua tau, naik KRL di Jakarta tuh perjuangan. Berdesakan. Antre. Kadang nggak dapet tempat duduk. Belum lagi cuaca panas atau hujan. Terus kalo lagi apes kayak hari ini, ada insiden yang bikin perjalanan makin berat.

Dan setelah semua itu, yang kita dapet? Potongan gaji.

Apakah Ada Solusi?

Jujur, gw nggak tau.

Mungkin solusi jangka pendeknya ya minta surat keterangan itu. Kasih ke HR atau atasan. Berharap mereka ngerti.

Tapi jangka panjangnya? Ini masalah sistem. KRL butuh perbaikan, iya. Tapi kantor-kantor juga perlu kebijakan yang lebih manusiawi. Nggak semua keterlambatan itu karena karyawan malas.

Gw pernah denger ada perusahaan yang ngasih toleransi 30 menit, atau bahkan satu jam buat kasus-kasus darurat. Atau yang pake sistem "flexible working hour", jadi selama kita masuk di jam tertentu, nggak dianggap telat.

Itu sih menurut gw kebijakan yang bijak. Tapi ya nggak semua perusahaan punya itu.

Yang Bisa Kita Lakukan

Mungkin sebagai komuter, yang bisa kita lakuin cuma:

• Berangkat lebih pagi—meskipun kadang itu juga nggak cukup.
• Simpan nomor petugas stasiun atau tau cara minta surat keterangan.
• Komunikasi dengan atasan sedini mungkin, sebelum mereka ngeliat kita telat.
• Buat dokumentasi—screenshoot pengumuman KRL, tweet dari akun resmi, atau apa pun yang bisa jadi bukti.

Tapi jujur, semua itu cuma pencegahan. Kalo aturan kantor udah kaku, ya nggak ada yang bisa kita lakuin selain nerima.

Entahlah

Gw ngetik ini masih di perjalanan. KRL-nya pelan banget, berhenti di setiap stasiun lebih lama dari biasanya. Di sekitar gw, orang-orang pada lelah. Ada yang tidur. Ada yang main HP. Ada yang cuma diem liatin jendela.

Gw jadi kepikiran, berapa banyak orang yang hari ini gajinya bakal dipotong karena insiden yang bahkan bukan salah mereka? Berapa banyak yang udah bangun pagi, udah berdesakan, udah rela berdiri berjam-jam, tapi ujung-ujungnya tetap dianggap telat?

Nggak tau deh. Mungkin ini yang namanya jadi pekerja di kota besar. Kita harus kuat. Harus tahan. Harus nerima kenyataan bahwa kadang, meskipun kita udah berusaha, tetap aja ada yang salah.

Semoga besok lebih baik. Semoga KRL-nya lancar. Semoga gaji kita aman.

Tapi ya... entahlah.

— Seorang komuter yang masih bingung, 2025.

Apakah surat keterangan keterlambatan KRL bisa mencegah potong gaji?

Tergantung kebijakan kantor. Surat itu cuma alat bantu buat menjelaskan alasan keterlambatan, tapi keputusan akhir tetap di tangan perusahaan. Sebaiknya koordinasikan dengan HR atau atasan langsung.

KRL telat karena insiden termasuk force majeure?

Secara umum, insiden di luar kendali seperti kereta tertemper orang bisa dianggap force majeure. Namun tidak semua perusahaan mengakui hal ini sebagai alasan dispensasi keterlambatan.

Bagaimana cara mendapatkan surat keterangan keterlambatan KRL?

Datangi petugas Passenger Service di stasiun tujuan atau minta di area tap out. Mereka biasanya bisa mencetak surat keterangan resmi yang menjelaskan gangguan perjalanan pada hari tersebut.

Apakah potong gaji karena keterlambatan KRL sah secara hukum?

Pemotongan gaji karena keterlambatan sah jika diatur dalam Peraturan Perusahaan, Perjanjian Kerja Bersama, atau Perjanjian Kerja. Perusahaan harus memiliki dasar yang jelas untuk melakukan pemotongan tersebut.

Late KRL, Salary Deductions, and the Unfair Reality of Commuting

I woke up earlier than usual this morning. Got ready, had a quick breakfast, and headed to the station. But then... the KRL was delayed. Not just a regular delay—a major one. Apparently there was an incident where a train hit someone on the Bogor–Jakarta route.

I stood on the platform, staring at the monitor showing the estimated arrival: "Delayed." That's it. No estimated time. Just one word that made my heart sink.

And everyone around me started getting restless too. Some were calling their offices. Some were texting. Some were just staring at their phones, as if hoping for a miracle.

There was no miracle.

What Happened: A Train Incident

So apparently, a person or vehicle entered the railway track and got hit by a train. As a result, the braking system was damaged, and the entire schedule was thrown off. This isn't just regular traffic. This is force majeure. An emergency beyond anyone's control.

But of course, passengers are the ones who suffer.

I think about all those people who woke up at 4 or 5 AM, queued up, endured the crowds, just to get to the office on time. And when they finally arrive at the station, they get this news. Worse, when they finally make it to the office... they're still marked as late.

Late Certificate: Does It Actually Help?

I heard from some regular commuters that we can ask for a Late Certificate at the destination station. Just go to the Passenger Service officer or the tap-out area and ask for it to be printed.

The certificate basically states that your trip was disrupted due to a specific incident. The main purpose is to use it as supporting documentation for your office. So your boss knows you were late not because you were lazy or overslept.

But the question is: is it enough?

I think the certificate is just a piece of paper. There's no guarantee the office will accept it. Especially if your company is strict about attendance. No matter the reason, you're still getting deducted.

I don't know. I keep thinking: who is this certificate really for? For us who've tried our best? Or is it just a formality to make KAI look like they care?

Company Policy: Right or Burden?

Under labor laws, salary deductions for lateness are legally valid if they're specified in the Company Regulations, Collective Labor Agreement, or Employment Agreement. So legally, companies have grounds to deduct wages.

But... is it fair?

I keep thinking. If we're late because of our own fault—oversleeping, traffic because we didn't leave early—that's our responsibility. Penalties make sense.

But if we're late because a train hit someone? This is beyond our control. We already left earlier. We already made the effort. And yet we still get penalized. It feels like being punished for something we didn't do.

I remember all those social media posts that pop up during incidents like this. So many complaints. So much frustration. But at the end of the day, still salary cuts. Nothing changes.

HRD Bacot and the Reality on Social Media

In communities like HRD Bacot, there's a lot of discussion about this. Some say delays due to external incidents are force majeure and shouldn't be counted as lateness.

Others share stories about how their offices actually give leeway. But the majority? Still get deductions. Rules are rules.

I scroll through social media comments, and it feels... sad. So many people who've tried their best, but are still seen as being at fault. Like, "The train was late? That's your problem. I'm just looking at your attendance record."

But we all know, commuting on the KRL in Jakarta is a struggle. Crowded. Queues. Sometimes no seats. Add in the hot or rainy weather. And on unlucky days like today, an incident that makes everything worse.

And after all that? Salary deduction.

Is There a Solution?

Honestly, I don't know.

Maybe the short-term solution is to get that late certificate. Give it to HR or your boss. Hope they understand.

But long-term? This is a systemic issue. The KRL needs improvement, yes. But offices also need more humane policies. Not all lateness is due to employee laziness.

I've heard of companies that give a 30-minute grace period, or even an hour for emergency cases. Or those with flexible working hours, so as long as you arrive within a certain window, it's not considered late.

I think that's a wise policy. But not every company has that.

What We Can Do

Maybe as commuters, all we can do is:

• Leave even earlier—though sometimes even that's not enough.
• Save the station officer's contact or know how to request a late certificate.
• Communicate with your supervisor as early as possible, before they notice you're late.
• Document everything—screenshot KRL announcements, tweets from official accounts, anything that can serve as proof.

But honestly, all of that is just damage control. If company policy is rigid, there's not much we can do except accept it.

I Don't Know

I'm writing this while still on the train. The KRL is moving so slowly, stopping at every station longer than usual. Around me, people look exhausted. Some are sleeping. Some are on their phones. Some are just staring out the window.

I keep thinking, how many people today will have their salary cut because of an incident that wasn't even their fault? How many woke up early, endured the crowds, stood for hours, and still ended up being marked as late?

I don't know. Maybe this is just what it means to be a worker in a big city. We have to be strong. Resilient. Accept that sometimes, even when we've done everything right, things still go wrong.

Hopefully tomorrow is better. Hopefully the KRL runs smoothly. Hopefully our salaries are safe.

But... I don't know.

— A confused commuter, 2025.

Can a KRL late certificate prevent salary deductions?

It depends on company policy. The certificate is just supporting documentation to explain the reason for lateness, but the final decision is up to the company. It's best to coordinate with HR or your direct supervisor.

Is a KRL delay due to an incident considered force majeure?

Generally, incidents beyond control like a train hitting someone can be considered force majeure. However, not all companies recognize this as a valid reason for lateness dispensation.

How do I get a KRL late certificate?

Go to the Passenger Service officer at your destination station or ask at the tap-out area. They can usually print an official certificate explaining the travel disruption on that specific day.

Is salary deduction for KRL lateness legally valid?

Salary deductions for lateness are legally valid if they're specified in Company Regulations, Collective Labor Agreements, or Employment Agreements. The company must have a clear basis for making such deductions.

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