80,000 RI workers left unprotected overseas

80,000 RI workers left unprotected overseas

JAKARTA (JP): Manpower and Transmigration Minister Al-Hilal
Hamdi revealed on Wednesday that some 80,000 Indonesian laborers
overseas have little protection, since they are not registered
with the government-run insurance program.

"They cannot claim any compensation from the insurance program
if they encounter any trouble at their workplace overseas," he
said after signing a memorandum of understanding with Jordanian
Ambassador Muhammed Ali Badher here on Wednesday.

He alleged that labor exporters may have collected US$20 from
each of those workers to be included in the insurance program but
the funds were not paid to the Finance Ministry, as required by
the 1986 ministerial decree on overseas workers.

He cited a government loss totaling $1.6 million as a result.

Meanwhile Badher said that under the newly signed MoU, Jordan
would distribute workers from Indonesia to be employed in the
informal sector.

"Jordan needs thousands of workers as domestic helpers and
baby-sitters," he said.

Separately, Jacob Nua Wea, a legislator of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said the country
must have a law to regulate migrant workers overseas, the
recruitment of workers and their protection overseas.

"The Labor Export Association (Apjati) should draft a bill on
migrant workers overseas and submit it to the House because it
will take a long time if the government is asked to do it," he
said in a discussion on the migrant worker policy here on
Wednesday.

Jacob, also chairman of the All-Indonesia Workers Union
Federation said that the increasing number of Indonesian workers
overseas who encounter problems is related to the absence of a
law to protect them.

"Our workers have been subject to extortion by labor
exporters, government officers and their employers overseas
because of the absence of standard regulations and legal
sanctions," he said.

Soeramsihono, director general for labor deployment at the
Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, said the government would
take strict action against labor exporters and government
officers who violated labor export procedures.

"Labor exporters should return their export license to the
government and do business in another sector if they decline to
treat workers humanely," he said.

He said the labor export program needed total reform to
empower Indonesian migrant workers.

Husein Alaydrus, chairman of Apjati, conceded that numerous
labor exporters had breached export procedures to reap higher
profits but stressed that the government should be consistent in
enforcing the export regulations.

"It should not be possible for unskilled workers to go
overseas if their departure has not first been checked by the
government, as workers need to be certified by the Manpower and
Transmigration Ministry before they are allowed to go to work
abroad," he said. (rms)