Govt sets up overseas worker body

JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri was expected to sign a presidential decree which establishes a new body tasked with placing and protecting Indonesian workers overseas by June at the latest, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on Monday.

Jacob told reporters after meeting Megawati at the State Palace that the extra government body would be directly involved in the recruitment and placement of migrant workers, a job currently carried out by private labor export agencies, which have at times come under intense criticism for their handling of workers.

According to Jacob, the agencies had made little effort to ensure the qualifications or the safety of the workers.

"All this time, workers were just sent abroad without proper preparation or training.. in terms of quality, our workers could barely compete with counterparts from other countries," he said.

The body will fall under Megawati's supervision and will comprise, among others, immigration and home affairs officials, as well as professionals and representatives of the private labor export agencies. --JP