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)