Jamsostek eyes 1.5 million RI workers overseas

Jamsostek eyes 1.5 million RI workers overseas

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After securing the membership of 17,000 expatriates working in
Indonesia, state-owned social security company Jamsostek, has
targeted more than 1.5 million Indonesians employed overseas.

Jamsostek's president Achmad Djunaidi told The Jakarta Post
here on Thursday that his side was still discussing with the
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration the participation of
Indonesian workers overseas in its social security programs.

"Both sides have principally agreed that migrant workers
should be members of Jamsostek's social security programs for
their own protection while overseas, as well as to financially
strengthen Jamsostek," he said.

He added that Manpower and Transmigration Minister Jacob Nuwa
Wea, was expected to issue a ministerial decree to revive the
1995 decree on the participation of Indonesian workers overseas
in social security programs.

The 1995 ministerial decree was lifted in 1999 for the main
reason that Indonesian workers employed overseas were protected
under a commercial insurance scheme.

The minister recently issued Ministerial Decree No. 67/2004 in
April to bring back the 1995 decree requiring all expatriates
working in Indonesia to enroll in social security programs. The
decree was lifted in 1999, as most of the expatriates were
already registered with similar -- and perceivably better --
social security programs in their home countries.

Nuwa Wea said recently that enrolling in a social security
program was obligatory for Indonesian workers employed at home
and overseas, and expatriates working in Indonesia.

"The compulsory participation is aimed at ensuring social
security programs are cooperative and cross-subsidizing. The more
workers that participate in the programs, the stronger the
company's assets will be, and the more benefits the workers will
receive," he said.

Employers and labor unions have opposed Jamsostek's status as
a state-owned company, saying the government should contribute to
the social security programs as a main stakeholder to show its
responsibility to workers' protection.

The House of Representatives is still reviewing the 1992
social security law to change the social security programs into a
trust fund that would be managed by an independent agency
directly under the President.

Djunaidi explained that Jamsostek would fully protect
Indonesian workers overseas, particularly those in abusive
situations.

"Jamsostek would compensate workers who were not paid, abused
by their employers or injured in a workplace accident. It wwill
also offer life insurance," he said, adding that Jamsostek would
reopen its branches in the Middle East and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, labor exporters expressed appreciation of the
government's plan to enroll Indonesian workers overseas in social
security programs, saying it would provide them with better
protection.

"As long as the workers have no objection to participating in
social security programs, labor exporters will support it,
although they would have to pay for it," said Husein Alaydrus,
chairman of the Indonesian Labor Exporters Association (Apjati).

Around 1.5 million Indonesians are working overseas. The
majority are employed as domestic helpers in the Middle East,
Hong Kong and Malaysia, contributing around US$1 billion annually
to Indonesia in foreign exchange earnings.