Conditions drafted for protection of migrant workers
Conditions drafted for protection of migrant workers
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government has drawn up a list of conditions aimed at
protecting the interests of Indonesians working overseas, a
senior official says.
The director general for labor exports at the Ministry of
Manpower and Transmigration, I Gusti Made Arke, said Indonesia
would only send workers to those countries that agreed to these
new conditions.
"The government, along with labor recruitment companies, will
send workers to countries that have bilateral labor agreements
with Indonesia and accept these new requirements," he said after
seeing off on Thursday a group of 107 nurses who will be employed
at hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
Under the newly formulated labor contract, overseas employers
will be required to guarantee the safety of Indonesian workers,
give the workers one day off per week, require them to work no
more than eight hours a day, pay the workers overtime if they do
work more than eight hours and allow them to take a two-week
annual leave.
"Copies of the contracts will be given to employers, labor
exporters and the Indonesian Embassy in the countries the workers
are employed," Arke said.
He said this measure was being taken to enforce Law No.
39/2004, which requires the government to sign bilateral
agreements with countries to provide maximum protection for
Indonesian workers overseas.
He said the government had also asked foreign embassies in
Jakarta to issue visas only to migrant workers with passports
issued by a special unit of the immigration directorate, to help
prevent people from working overseas illegally.
"Foreign embassies employing Indonesian workers have agreed to
provide work visas only to workers recruited by licensed labor
supply companies," Arke said.
He said his office would issue a list of licensed labor
exporters.
Arke said the new recruitment system, aimed at protecting
workers employed in informal sectors overseas, has come into
effect in the Middle East and in other countries employing
Indonesian workers.
The government is also preparing bilateral agreements with
Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, he said.
Said Umar, president of labor recruitment company PT Amri
Margatama, which recruited the 107 nurses, said Saudi Arabia had
recruited a total of 400 medical personnel.
"In November, 2004, we sent 60 nurses with diplomas and 25
physicians to the International Hospital in Riyadh. Another 200
medical workers will be sent in the next few months," he said,
adding that the physicians were being paid US$1,100 (Rp 10.2
million) a month.
Umar said the 107 nurses would be employed in hospitals in
Mecca, Riyadh, Medina and Damam, with a monthly salary of $700
(Rp 6.5 million). They will be housed in dormitories, insured and
given one-month annual leave, he said.