'Govt should punish violating labor recruitment agencies'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Labor Exporters Association
\n(Apjati) called on authorities to take strict measures against
\nlabor recruitment agencies violating the newly-revised labor
\nexport procedure in a bid to improve protection for Indonesian
\nworkers overseas.<\/p>\n
\"The government must have a strong commitment to impose
\nharsh sanctions against all parties, especially labor recruitment
\ncompanies which are found guilty of violating the new labor
\nexport procedure, in order to improve labor protection and
\nIndonesia's image overseas,\" Husein Alaydrus said here on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Husein admitted that the increasing number of Indonesian
\nworkers overseas who faced difficulties, poor worker protection
\nand prevalent extortion of workers had a lot to do with the
\nextensive violations.<\/p>\n
According to him, authorities, including the Ministry of
\nManpower and Transmigration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
\nNational Police should enhance coordination in enforcing the new
\ndecree on labor export.<\/p>\n
Al-Hilal Hamdi, minister of manpower and transmigration,
\nrecently issued a labor decree to amend the 1986 ministerial
\ndecree on labor export. The amendment to the labor export
\nprocedure was conducted to minimize the number of troubled
\nworkers and to improve Indonesian workers' competitiveness
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
The new regulation requires labor agencies recruiting workers
\nto send overseas to provide at least three weeks of intensive job
\ntraining to equip workers with better skills in their respective
\njobs and enhance their communication skills.<\/p>\n
The new decree also regulates that the agencies are
\nresponsible for all administrative and legal affairs from the
\nmoment of a worker's recruitment to their employment overseas and
\ntheir arrival home.<\/p>\n
Previously labor agencies were not obliged to assist with any
\nproblems which befell workers.<\/p>\n
The new decree also requires recruitment agencies to provide
\nan insurance scheme for workers and to include the workers'
\nrights clause in labor contracts between workers and their
\nemployers.<\/p>\n
The new decree also authorizes the government to set official
\nrecruitment fees for all countries to help prevent labor
\nrecruitment agencies from extorting higher fees from workers.<\/p>\n
The recruitment fees, which covers plane fares and training
\nfees, vary depending on workers' destination countries.<\/p>\n
Husein said the manpower and transmigration ministry and
\nApjati were conducting a program to enhance labor export
\nprocedures in accordance with the new decree.<\/p>\n
\"We are conducting an information campaign about the new labor
\nexport procedure and all agencies are expected to abide by the
\nnew regulation,\" he said, adding the information campaign would
\nlast until Aug. 20.<\/p>\n
Rusjdi S., chairman of the consortium of companies supplying
\nworkers to Saudi Arabia, appreciated the amendment to the labor
\nprocedure to improve Indonesian workers' competitiveness in the
\nMiddle East.<\/p>\n
He admitted that Indonesian workers had lost their competitive
\nadvantage compared to those from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and
\nBangladesh because most workers sent to the region were of low
\nquality.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia will certainly win the competition if the quality
\nof Indonesian workers sent to the Middle East is improved,\" he
\nsaid, claiming that Saudi Arabian employers preferred employing
\nIndonesian workers to those from other countries.<\/p>\n
Over the last six months, the government has received some
\nUS$4 billion in remittances from more than 440,000 overseas
\nworkers, working in numerous countries, including Taiwan, Hong
\nKong, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Singapore. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-should-punish-violating-labor-recruitment-agencies-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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