Apjati against govt roles in export of labor

Apjati against govt roles in export of labor

JAKARTA (JP): Executives of the Association of Labor Export
Companies (Apjati) threatened on Sunday to resign in protest
against the government's dominant role in the labor export
business.

Apjati chairman Saleh Alwaini said in a media meeting here
that the association's central board was no longer able to
cooperate with the government and so the association
would hold a special congress in which its executives would
tender their resignations.

He said the special congress was expected to be held soon
after the June 7 general election.

"Apjati's current executives are no longer able to face the
Ministry of Manpower's arrogance and dominant role in labor
export," Saleh said.

He accused officials of the Ministry of Manpower and
Indonesian embassies of having interfered too much in Apjati's
internal affairs.

The government should actually play its role as a regulator in
the labor export sector, he said. A government-dominated labor
export agency was established recently, thereby sharply reducing
the role of private labor exporters.

Saleh, who is also president of labor exporter PT Binawan,
complained that nearly all problems concerning Indonesian workers
overseas were blamed on labor exporters.

"Twenty-one labor exporters have been punished over the last
three months for problems faced by workers during employment
overseas," he said, adding that two of them would no longer be
allowed to operate for violating export administrative
procedures.

The other 19 firms were given administrative sanctions and
warnings for failing to provide adequate protection to troubled
workers.

Din Samsuddin, director general of labor placement at the
manpower ministry, warned recently that the government would take
stern action against labor exporters found guilty of failing to
provide adequate protection to Indonesian workers overseas.

Abdullah Umar, Apjati deputy chairman, said the recent
establishment of a government-dominated labor export agency whose
members are from the ministries of manpower, foreign affairs,
justice, transportation and the National Police was not conducive
to a better climate in labor export.

"The new agency has created a more complicated procedure in
labor export, thereby raising costs," he said.

He also acknowledged that many exporters violated the rules of
the game in running their businesses, but said that instead of
being punished they should be taught to work more professionally.

He said it was difficult to provide legal protection to
Indonesian workers since they were employed in countries where
Indonesian laws were not recognized and most of the workers had
no skills in protecting themselves.

Over the last three years, more than 200 labor exporters have
sent more than three million workers to work abroad, earning the
government approximately US$3.5 billion annually. (rms)