'Govt milks migrant workers'

JAKARTA (JP): Eight of the 10 members of the team in charge of migrant workers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's terminal three resigned on Sunday, citing moral objections to a new government ruling on the function of the team.

One of the team members, Yunus Yamani, said the government was exploiting the team to increase its revenue, a violation of the team's original function.

"Instead of serving the workers, the terminal operator is using the workers as a source of revenue," he told Antara.

Yunus said the team was ordered to raise the administration fee charged the workers from Rp 11,000 (US$1.16) to Rp 20,000 ($2.10).

The team members represent the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, National Police Headquarters and the Ministry of Finance.

According to Yunus, last month, after the administration fee was increased, the team accounted for some Rp 43.5 million ($4,578) of the terminal operator's total revenue of Rp 172.2 million ($18,126).

"That was the largest source of 'other revenue,'" he said, adding that the Association of Labor Exporting Companies received Rp 25.8 million from this amount.

Yunus said he regretted that migrant workers were still subject to exploitation. "Violations against the workers are still rampant, including blackmail, cheating and carelessness. The Ministry of Manpower has apparently washed its hands of the matter, and lays the blame on the labor exporting companies, while it is in part the result of the government's mistakes."

The government, he said, should be held responsible because the team and the labor exporters operated according to a government decree.(hdn)