Labor export frims protest over workers' poor protection
Labor export frims protest over workers' poor protection
JAKARTA (JP): Around 200 labor export companies have
threatened to cancel their partnership with local insurance
companies following their failure to provide protection for
around 1,000 workers in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
The chairman of the Association of Indonesian Labor Export
Companies, Saleh Alwaini, said on Wednesday more than 200 member
companies may stop paying the premium for the workers sent
overseas in protest for the poor protection workers have been
given.
"According to the 1998 Ministerial Decree on labor protection,
insurance companies covering workers overseas are obliged to
provide protection, including legal assistance, accommodation and
severance pay and repatriation fees, for the workers," Saleh said
on Wednesday.
He said that of the 1,000 complaints received from workers in
1998, 800 were from workers in Saudi Arabia and 200 from workers
in Malaysia. The complaints included arbitrary dismissal,
withholding of wages, and even rape and torture.
The association said it would ask its member companies to
share responsibility for the cases.
Asked about the recent report that 80 workers were stranded
for two months in Saudi Arabia, Saleh said the insurance company
should be held responsible.
"If it refuses to handle the cases, we will stop paying
premiums for the workers and will ask labor export companies
themselves to provide insurance for the Indonesian workers
overseas," he said.
The 80 workers, sent by PT Nur Afalah, a labor supply firm,
last November, went on a strike when they discovered they were to
be employed in department stores in Riyadh. Their contracts said
they were sent to Saudi Arabia to work in hotels.
S. Udi Joewono, a representative of the Beringin insurance
company, said he had not been informed of the case.
"The labor export companies have the right to withdraw their
participation in our insurance scheme, but they should have
consulted us first," he said.
He also promised to protect the 80 workers.
In a related development, the labor companies' association and
state-owned insurance company PT Jamsostek announced that they
have given Rp 5 million to Imas Enan, a worker from Karawang in
West Java, who was tortured by her Saudi Arabian employer last
September. Imas' face and other parts of her body were badly
injured when the employer threw acid at her.
Jamsostek's spokesman Ronny Irawan said the money was to
compensate for Imas' suffering.
All Indonesian workers employed overseas are obliged to pay Rp
140,000 in premium to local insurance firms. (rms)