ASEAN to liberalize its labor markets

ASEAN to liberalize its labor markets

Ridwan Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara

Senior officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) agreed on Tuesday to start liberalizing their labor
markets by identifying sectors that could be opened to workers
from member countries.

The officials, who met here before the ASEAN labor ministerial
meeting, also agreed to formulate standards of competence for
workers in the region, Indonesian delegation chairman Edison
Situmorang said.

"All delegations agreed to make a long list of jobs at all
levels which are open to all workers in the region," said Edison,
who chaired the meeting.

In addition, all delegations agreed to design joint programs
in social security schemes, industrial relations and labor
training to improve labor conditions in respective countries.

The decisions reached during the meeting would be endorsed by
ASEAN labor ministers, who start their two-day meeting on
Thursday.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to open the
meeting.

On Wednesday, senior ASEAN officials will hold talks with
their dialog partners from South Korea, Japan, China, the
European Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to seek technical
and financial assistance for ASEAN's joint labor programs.

Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration labor training and
productivity director general Mudjiman said after the meeting
that Indonesia was also lobbying the dialogue partners to get
additional assistance for Indonesia.

The assistance would be used to finance self-employment
programs for workers in the informal sector, Mudjiman said.

"We expect China to sponsor our social security program, Japan
to provide training for Indonesian officials and finance training
programs for Indonesian job seekers, while the ILO and European
Union could finance the recovery program to fight against the
poverty and backwardness in the country," he said.

ILO representative in Jakarta Alan Boulton said the ILO --
attending the meeting for the first time -- was committed to
carrying out ASEAN's joint labor programs to help improve labor
conditions in the region.

"Principally, ILO is committed to channeling financial
assistance from donor countries to ASEAN and Indonesia," he said.