Apjati rejects decree on new minimum capital<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Labor Export Companies
\n(Apjati) has rejected a 1999 ministerial decree requiring labor
\nexport companies to have Rp 1 billion in minimum capital.<\/p>\n
\"None of the 425 labor export firms grouped in the association
\nwill comply with the decree because it will be ineffective in
\nproviding protection for workers,\" the Apjati chairman, Abdulla
\nUmar, told The Jakarta Post by phone on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Abdulla was responding to a manpower ministry statement on
\nFriday announcing that the decree would take effect on May 20.<\/p>\n
The decree was issued by former manpower minister Fachmi Idris
\nin August 1999, to tighten administrative requirements for
\ncompanies wishing to acquire labor export licenses.<\/p>\n
The previous ruling, issued in 1996, required labor exporters
\nto have assets worth Rp 375 million and a bank deposit of Rp 75
\nmillion in the name of the manpower minister.<\/p>\n
The deposits were designed to finance troubled workers
\noverseas.<\/p>\n
The new inflated deposit of Rp 1 billion is designed to filter
\nand limit labor export companies to ones which are the most
\ncredible.<\/p>\n
Abdulla criticized the government for failing to detect the
\nkey problem in labor export, saying both Minister of Manpower
\nBomer Pasaribu and Director General of Labor Placement Din
\nSyamsudin knew little about the labor export business.<\/p>\n
\"Bomer is unprofessional despite his track record in labor
\naffairs. And Din should go back to the Hidayatullah Islamic
\nTeaching Institute because he actually knows nothing about the
\nlabor business,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He questioned the fact that if the new deposit minimum was
\nintended to limit the number of labor export companies, then why
\ndid the ministry issue some 250 licenses to new labor export
\ncompanies in the past six months.<\/p>\n
\"The two should turn down requests for new licenses if they
\nare committed to enforcing the new decree,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Abdulla said companies should be gauged on how well they train
\ntheir workers before sending them abroad rather than the amount
\nof cash they can store in the bank.<\/p>\n
\"Huge assets are not a guarantee that workers will be well
\ntrained and given better protection overseas. Many big companies
\nhave also sent workers without standard training,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said it would more applicable if the government tightened
\nits supervision of labor exports and monitored the quality of
\nworkers sent and their protection overseas.<\/p>\n
\"Companies found guilty of violating the standard training
\nprocedures and legal and insurance protection must be given harsh
\nsanctions,\" he said.(rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/apjati-rejects-decree-on-new-minimum-capital-1447893297",
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