Government plans campaign for overseas workers

Government plans campaign for overseas workers

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Manpower will launch a
nationwide campaign to inform Indonesians wanting to work abroad
of their rights and duties, as well as the correct procedures
right from the time they leave their villages.

Director general for labor placement, Din Syamsuddin, said,
"After this campaign, no one should encounter any more
difficulties during their trip from their home until their
return."

The ministry will send teams to rural areas in Sumatra, Java,
West Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi to disseminate as much
information as necessary for prospective workers, Din said.

"We are preparing circulars, booklets, pocketbooks and videos
as material for the campaign," he said.

He said ignorance of their rights and duties, and about
procedures, were the prime reasons why many Indonesian workers
got into trouble.

Many developed conflicts with their employers, but problems
often began the moment they left their rural villages as they
were exploited or even abused by middlemen and local labor
agencies.

"Thousands of Indonesian women working as domestic help in the
Middle East are stranded at Indonesian embassies because of
conflicts with their employers," he said.

Din also confirmed a recent report that a woman from Sukabumi,
West Java, was raped by two Pakistani police officers in Karachi
when the Saudi Arabian plane she was flying on made a brief stop
over in the Pakistan city.

He did not elaborate.

All Indonesian workers will be given training at the haj
dormitories in Jakarta, Surakarta and Surabaya prior to their
departure, he said.

The Ministry of Manpower is working in association with the
Association of Labor Exporting Companies to organize the training
program, he said.

"This training is necessary so that they know the law and the
culture of their country of destination," he said.

Din said Indonesia trailed behind the Philippines in the
foreign labor market.

"Filipinos are better prepared, in skills and language
ability. That's why they don't have as many problems as our
workers," he said.

Din said the government would slow down the sending of
Indonesian workers abroad temporarily because the country had
sent too many in the first six months of 1999.

The glut led to cut-throat competition among labor exporting
agencies, he said, noting that Indonesia's foreign exchange
income through repatriated earnings from workers abroad had
dropped drastically in recent months.

The ministry said there were around 1.5 million Indonesians
working overseas. Their contribution to Indonesia's foreign
exchange earnings is estimated to be US$1 billion.

Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East are the major
destinations of Indonesian workers. (rms)