164 companies unable to renew staff permits

164 companies unable to renew staff permits

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta office of the Ministry of Manpower disclosed that 164 companies in the city have failed to renew the work permits of foreign workers they employed last year.

Head of the office Freddy P. Tuamelly told reporters yesterday that most of the companies failed to renew their foreign employees' permits because they entrusted the processing of the permits to brokerages.

"The brokers the companies hired did not work properly so that many applications for the processing of work permit renewals were turned down," he said.

Freddy has urged the companies to process the permits themselves as it is quicker and cheaper.

"The processing of a new work permit is free of charge, while the renewal of a permit costs US$1,800 per person," he said.

Another problem commonly found in companies employing foreign workers is that other companies often lure the expatriates away, with the original permits still valid and being made use of.

Freddy said that this is only part of the problem his office faces when supervising permit issuances for foreigners. He also expressed concern over the many agencies given authority to issue work permits to foreigners. These are the City Investment Office, Nusantara Bounded Zone Board and the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications.

"The decision to give authority (to these offices) was designed mainly to simplify the procedure for the processing of work permits, but in its implementation it is difficult for the Ministry of Manpower to control," he said.

He added that the difficulties are worsened by the lack of personnel. The City Manpower Office, for example, has only 92 supervisors to monitor 11,685 foreign workers working at 8,795 companies throughout the city.

"Even though my office has designated 10 companies per month to each supervisor, it is still hard to do," Freddy explained.

However, Freddy explained, his office did not take firm action against the companies or the foreign workers because basically their work permits had been processed. They had only failed to fulfill all the requirements.

"We cannot take firm action because our office is acting also as a patron," he said.

Freddy also explained that his office is currently promoting a public presentation to disseminate regulations on foreign workers so they understand Indonesian laws.

The activity covers various subjects, ranging from education and training fees, the obligation to renew work permits three months before the expiration of the current ones and Indonesia's basic industrial relations. (yns)