Collection of servants' fee trialed in S. Jakarta
Collection of servants' fee trialed in S. Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta mayoralty has started
collecting fees from agencies supplying servants, an official
said yesterday.
The city's assistant secretary for social welfare,
Soenarjudardji, said fees would eventually be imposed on
individual employers of servants.
Soenarjudardji said 1993 city rule no. 6 imposed a three-
yearly fee of Rp 500,000 (US$206.10) on agencies supplying
servants.
"We are starting to collect the fees in South Jakarta because
there are many well-organized agencies supplying servants there,"
he said.
In South Jakarta the head of the city's manpower agency
Suwardja said the mayoralty had told the public that if they
employed servants they would be subject to an annual Rp 3,000
fee. This includes the cost of the Rp 500 city stamp.
He said the public had been told about the new rule several
times. The fee is intended to swell the city's job training
budget.
Kompas daily yesterday quoted readers asking for information
about the new fee. They said they had received notices saying the
fees would be collected on May 4 and May 5.
The fee was introduced as part of the council's bill on
servants' welfare in June 1993. The bill was drafted after cases
of servants being abused were reported here in the late 1980s.
The bill introduces contracts between employers and servants
and a minimum working age of 15 years. If the servant is between
15 years and 18 years, their parents' permission to work is
required. It also introduces 12 days of annual leave.
The fee part of the rule became effective with a governor's
decree in 1995.
Soenarjudardji said the city was starting to collect the fees
with agencies because it was difficult to record the number of
servants in the city.
Migrants
He said the City's Population Agency tried to record the
numbers of new migrants every year. It is believed that many of
the migrants who come to Jakarta after Idul Fitri sought work as
servants.
He said fees would be collected in the other mayoralties, but
he did not say when.
In 1996, the agency's city office said only about 25,000 of
the estimated 500,000 servants were registered. It is estimated
that 30 percent of the 1.7 million families in the city have
servants.
The office said there were 110 agencies supplying servants in
Jakarta, but only 25 were legal.
The 31-chapter bill regulates the rights and obligations of
agencies, employers and servants.
Agencies must be licensed, teach servants housekeeping skills
and guarantee that the servants would stay in their job for at
least six months.
Agencies are forbidden to send servants outside Jakarta,
supply them through brokers or charge them fees.
Employers must be permanent residents. If they do not hire
their servants through an agency, they must report the employment
arrangement to the city-branch of the Ministry of Manpower. (ste)
JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta mayoralty has started
collecting fees from agencies supplying servants, an official
said yesterday.
The city's assistant secretary for social welfare,
Soenarjudardji, said fees would eventually be imposed on
individual employers of servants.
Soenarjudardji said 1993 city rule no. 6 imposed a three-
yearly fee of Rp 500,000 (US$206.10) on agencies supplying
servants.
"We are starting to collect the fees in South Jakarta because
there are many well-organized agencies supplying servants there,"
he said.
In South Jakarta the head of the city's manpower agency
Suwardja said the mayoralty had told the public that if they
employed servants they would be subject to an annual Rp 3,000
fee. This includes the cost of the Rp 500 city stamp.
He said the public had been told about the new rule several
times. The fee is intended to swell the city's job training
budget.
Kompas daily yesterday quoted readers asking for information
about the new fee. They said they had received notices saying the
fees would be collected on May 4 and May 5.
The fee was introduced as part of the council's bill on
servants' welfare in June 1993. The bill was drafted after cases
of servants being abused were reported here in the late 1980s.
The bill introduces contracts between employers and servants
and a minimum working age of 15 years. If the servant is between
15 years and 18 years, their parents' permission to work is
required. It also introduces 12 days of annual leave.
The fee part of the rule became effective with a governor's
decree in 1995.
Soenarjudardji said the city was starting to collect the fees
with agencies because it was difficult to record the number of
servants in the city.
Migrants
He said the City's Population Agency tried to record the
numbers of new migrants every year. It is believed that many of
the migrants who come to Jakarta after Idul Fitri sought work as
servants.
He said fees would be collected in the other mayoralties, but
he did not say when.
In 1996, the agency's city office said only about 25,000 of
the estimated 500,000 servants were registered. It is estimated
that 30 percent of the 1.7 million families in the city have
servants.
The office said there were 110 agencies supplying servants in
Jakarta, but only 25 were legal.
The 31-chapter bill regulates the rights and obligations of
agencies, employers and servants.
Agencies must be licensed, teach servants housekeeping skills
and guarantee that the servants would stay in their job for at
least six months.
Agencies are forbidden to send servants outside Jakarta,
supply them through brokers or charge them fees.
Employers must be permanent residents. If they do not hire
their servants through an agency, they must report the employment
arrangement to the city-branch of the Ministry of Manpower. (ste)