Low pay awaits Indonesian workers in Hong Kong<\/p>\n
Finding a job is not always easy. Some have to leave their
\nfamily and homelands to try their luck abroad. Yenni Kwok, a
\ncontributor to The Jakarta Post, recently went to Hong Kong to
\nobserve the condition of Indonesian migrant workers on the
\nisland. The following two articles are her reports.<\/p>\n
HONG KONG (JP): In Victoria Park, not far from the Causeway
\nBay shopping area, some brown-skinned young women swayed their
\nbodies to the dangdut music that blasted from a cheap portable
\nstereo.<\/p>\n
Some walked around with Sogo or Daimaru shopping bags.
\nHundreds of others sat on the grass, having a picnic and chatting
\nin the Javanese language.<\/p>\n
"I am here just to have fun, trying to forget my problems and
\nstress," said Endah on why she spent her Sunday with hundreds of
\nfellow Indonesians in the park.<\/p>\n
Endah, a petite and feisty woman from East Java, is one of
\n19,800 Indonesian women who work as domestic helpers in this
\nBritish colony. For the past three years, they have annually
\ndonated Rp 50 billion of remittance to their home country.<\/p>\n
Behind the happy faces during the day outing, however, many
\nhide stories of abuse. Indonesian domestic helpers are generally
\nunderpaid and overworked. They do not have any support group in
\ncase of miseries, and the recruitment agencies usually keep their
\npassports and other important documents which are sometimes
\nessential to file complaints.<\/p>\n
Hong Kong labor ordinance stipulates that the minimum wage for
\na domestic helper is HK$ 3,860 (Rp 1,200,000) per month. However,
\na salary for an Indonesian worker usually falls between HK$2,000
\nto HK$3,000, said Rex Varona, a coordinator at the Asian Migrant
\nCenter.<\/p>\n
The cheap rate of Indonesian workers is a public secret in
\nHong Kong. Remy Borlongan, the chairperson of the Asian Domestic
\nWorkers Union (ADWU), once saw people distributing flyers
\npromoting cheap Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong subways.<\/p>\n
In an employment contract, agencies and employers usually
\nquote an employee's wage as HK$ 3,860 or higher, but in reality
\nthe employers are paid a lot less.<\/p>\n
Indonesian workers are not the only ones whose wages are
\nbelow minimum rates, said Devi Novianti, advisor at the Helpers
\nfor Domestic Helpers, a church-based volunteer organization.
\nIndian and Sri Lankan workers also experience the same abuse.<\/p>\n
The only difference is Indian and Sri Lankan workers are
\nusually not aware of minimum wage regulations, while Indonesian
\nworkers know about it but choose to remain quiet.<\/p>\n
Most Indonesian workers are recruited by employment agencies
\nfrom rural areas in East Java. They are usually graduates or
\ndropouts from secondary school.<\/p>\n
The usual justification for lower wages is their lack of work
\nexperience and their inability to communicate with employers.<\/p>\n
Endah admits that her wage is below the minimum wage, but she
\naccepts it. "I deserve it because my English is no good," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong acknowledges
\nthe reduced wage problem. While they have pledged to help any
\nIndonesian workers' claim of grievances over reduced wages, they
\nare not always in a position to stop the agencies' practices,
\naccording to Suhadi Salam, the head of the consulate's
\ninformation section.<\/p>\n
"If we limit the agencies, they may be reluctant to recruit
\nmore domestic workers. The ones who will suffer are Indonesian
\nworkers themselves. There will be no more remittance to East
\nJava," Suhadi said.<\/p>\n
For a long time, Filipino workers, who now total 135,000, have
\nbeen Hong Kong's favorite choice for domestic helpers because
\nmany of them, like Borlongan, have a university education. The
\nemployers are willing to pay the minimum wages to Filipinos
\nbecause they can speak English and can teach it to the employers'
\nchildren, Varona said.<\/p>\n
However, the trend is Indonesians are going to Hong Kong at a
\nmuch higher rate than their Filipino counterparts. "The
\nPhilippines government has tried to reduce exporting workers, and
\nconsequently, people will look for Indonesians," Varona said.<\/p>\n
The reduced wage has been the main attraction for Hong Kong
\npeople to hire Indonesians. The number of Indonesian workers in
\nHong Kong now only ranks second after the Filipinos. The past
\nthree years has seen the biggest boom for Indonesian workers.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government itself has long promoted labor
\nexportation.<\/p>\n
But in the 1990s, the strategy has become more necessary to
\nrelieve the unemployment of unskilled workers and to generate
\nforeign remittance to help pay off foreign debts. Currently,
\nIndonesia's outstanding foreign debt amounts to more than US$90
\nbillion, the second largest debt among Asian countries after
\nChina.<\/p>\n
Passports<\/p>\n
The increase in the number of Indonesian workers is evident
\nat the gateway of Hong Kong's international airport terminal.<\/p>\n
One late night at Kai Tak Airport, groups of Malay-looking
\nwomen in uniformed jackets and sweaters stand quietly waiting for
\nimmigration clearance. They are in sharp contrast to the shrill
\nsound of Cantonese speakers and impatient tourists.<\/p>\n
Although unaware, it might be the last night they hold their
\nown passports. Recruitment agencies usually keep their documents
\nand copies of their employment contract although this practice is
\nconsidered a criminal act and can be reported to the police.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Indonesian workers themselves do not mind. Take
\nEndah for example. She does not mind that her passport is
\nretained by the agency and understands that it is necessary to
\nprevent a worker from running away.<\/p>\n
Even the consulate prefers the agencies to keep the
\npassports, but for a different reason. Suhadi said the practice
\nis to prevent somebody from borrowing an Indonesian worker's
\npassport to get a bank loan and then disappear.<\/p>\n
"Indonesians are usually trusting people. Besides, agencies
\nare legally acknowledged institutions," Suhadi said.<\/p>\n
But Devi insists the agencies have no right to keep the
\npassports, whatever the reason. After all, the owners hold the
\nrights to them, not the agents.<\/p>\n
Although 75 percent of the reported cases to Helpers for
\nDomestic Helpers concerns underpayment, physical abuse still
\noccurs.<\/p>\n
While physical abuse is not an isolated problem among
\nIndonesian migrant workers, Indonesians are usually in a more
\ndisadvantaged position, Varona said.<\/p>\n
Filipino workers are more daring to speak up because they can
\nspeak English and can turn to their government representatives in
\nthe British colony. Thai workers, who rank third in number after
\nFilipinos and Indonesians, generally cannot speak English but
\ntheir consulate provides them support and shelter.<\/p>\n
Indonesians, on the other hand, do not have such a support
\nnetwork. They usually seek shelter from NGOs, which they are not
\nusually familiar with. Before the migrant workers arrive, they
\nare usually warned not to become involved with NGOs, Varona said.<\/p>\n
In case of grievances with their employers, the consulate
\ngeneral usually suggest workers go to their own agency to settle
\nthe issue out of court. But the agencies are known to side with
\nthe employers.<\/p>\n
That was the case with Sri (not her real name). Since Sri
\narrived in Hong Kong to work four months ago, she has been
\nphysically abused. She was slapped because she could not
\nunderstand her employers who spoke Cantonese, because she
\novercooked the rice, or because her hands were sweaty when
\nshe held the child. "I just want to earn a living for my family,
\nbut why do I end up being beaten up?" Sri asked herself while
\nholding back tears.<\/p>\n
One day, pretending she was going to take the garbage out,
\nSri ran away. She called the agency, but they told her to return
\nto her boss. She also called the consulate, but she hung up
\nbecause the person who answered the phone did not speak
\nIndonesian. She finally found shelter at the Asian Migrant Center
\nand waited for a settlement.<\/p>\n
In less than four months, this British colony will be
\nreturned to China. What will be the plight of Indonesian workers?
\nWill they be able to continue working under Chinese rule?<\/p>\n
So far there has been no discussion between the Indonesian
\nand Chinese government about the situation, Suhadi said. But the
\nPhilippines President Fidel Ramos has already obtained assurance
\nfrom the Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, that Filipino workers can
\ncontinue to work after the hand over.<\/p>\n
"We hope this policy will extend to other migrant workers,
\nincluding Indonesia," Suhadi said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/low-pay-awaits-indonesian-workers-in-hong-kong-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}