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.