Most Indonesian workers in Hong Kong underpaid<\/p>\n
Blontank, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Semarang<\/p>\n
Around 80 percent of the 70,000 Indonesian workers employed as
\ndomestic helpers in Hong Kong in reality receive around HK$ 2,400
\nper month, which is far below the minimum monthly wage in the
\nChinese autonomous territory, according to a government official.<\/p>\n
Indrawan Solaeman, an specialist advisor in the Ministry of
\nManpower and Transmigration, said upon his arrival home from Hong
\nKong that he had obtained the information from Indonesia's
\nConsulate General and many Indonesian workers employed in Hong
\nKong.<\/p>\n
\"Many workers have complained to the Consulate General about
\ncuts in their monthly salary by recruitment agencies in Hong
\nKong, but no action has ever been taken,\" he said, adding that he
\nalso received complaints from workers enjoying their days off at
\nVictoria Park in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
The minimum wage in Hong Kong is set at $3,670 per month.<\/p>\n
Indrawan said that payment of the minimum wage was also
\nstipulated in the employment contracts between workers and their
\nemployers, but the trouble was the workers received their
\nsalaries from the recruitment agencies that had supplied them to
\ntheir respective employers.<\/p>\n
He said that staff in the Indonesian Consulate General and
\nIndonesian labor exporting companies were allegedly involved in
\nthe salary cuts as all contracts were signed by the labor
\nexporters with certification being provided by the Consulate
\nGeneral's staff.<\/p>\n
Saleh Alwaini, the president of PT Binawan, a company that
\nsupplies unskilled workers to Hong Kong, blamed the Consulate
\nGeneral for the workers' salary cuts because, besides having
\ncopies of the labor contracts, the Consulate General was
\nresponsible for resolving such labor problems.<\/p>\n
\"The Consulate General's staff handling labor problems have
\ntheir own interests in seeing more workers employed in Hong Kong
\nas they receive fees for the recruitment of Indonesian workers
\nhere,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
Separately, Minister on Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa
\nWea said during a visit to Semarang on Friday that he would leave
\nfor Hong Kong to look into the cutting of Indonesian workers'
\nsalaries.<\/p>\n
\"This is very embarrassing, and I will ask foreign minister
\nHasan Wirayuda to take strict measures against any staff of the
\nConsulate General who are found guilty of labor extortion,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The minister said that besides imposing strict measures, he
\nwould also ask the foreign minister to assign labor attaches in
\nforeign countries employing Indonesian workers to help resolve
\nlabor problems.<\/p>\n
He said he had decided to revoke the licenses of 12 labor
\nexporters who were found to have violated labor export
\nregulations. Several of these companies were involved in the
\ncutting of workers' salaries.<\/p>\n
He declined to identify the 12 labor exporters.<\/p>\n
Nuwa Wea said his office would strictly enforce the new
\nministerial decree on labor exports to avoid labor extortion and
\nprovide legal protection for Indonesian workers overseas.<\/p>\n
\"The new decree gives authority to the Ministry of Manpower
\nand Transmigration to send unskilled workers overseas to avoid
\nlabor extortion, and it also sets stricter requirements for labor
\nexports and threatens stiffer sanctions against errant labor
\nexporters,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/most-indonesian-workers-in-hong-kong-underpaid-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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