Labor extortion rampant at Soekarno Hatta Airport

Labor extortion rampant at Soekarno Hatta Airport

JAKARTA (JP): The existence of a special gate for migrant
workers at Soekarno Hatta Airport is under fire due to rampant
extortion of passengers, though no firm action has been taken.

The terminal, opened late in 1999, was intended to protect
home-coming migrant workers from poor treatment, robbery and
extortion.

But, the terminal is not really immune to such crimes. On the
contrary, the situation is getting worse. They are often robbed
and extorted as criminals believe the workers bring home a lot of
money in foreign currency.

Nina, not her real name, said that for each of her four pieces
of luggage, airport porters asked for Rp 2,000. She gave Rp
10,000 but she didn't receive any change. She was then ushered
outside to a minivan to take her home, and was asked to pay Rp
200,000.

Endang from Solidaritas Perempuan, a non-governmental
organization for the empowerment of female migrant workers,
revealed, in a seminar on Tuesday, that more of them experienced
worse treatment than Nina.

"The lucky ones were forced to exchange their riyal or dollar
by the driver for a very low foreign exchange. Some were robbed
on their way home and left with nothing but the clothes they were
in," she said.

Endang, who joins an independent team monitoring the returning
of migrant workers, said the terminal caters for some 3,000
migrant workers each day, and they arrive mainly at night.

She said that migrant workers are mostly women who are afraid
to say no to the "tattooed" men operating the transport.

The men are hired by a controlling team at the airport, which
consists of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, the
Indonesian Labor Service Companies, the Ministry of
Transportation, the police, the airport's management and the
transportation service companies.

Endang also said that on one occasion a pregnant worker was
bleeding but none of the custom officials helped her.

She said that there have been cases when workers had to flee
or were sent home by their employers. Such workers required legal
advice, but nobody at the terminal cares.

"They don't provide any useful information for the workers.
They just extort the workers' hard-earned money instead," she
said.

Wahyu Susilo from the Indonesian Consortium of Advocacy for
Migrant Workers believes that the real problem lies in the lack
of control and understanding in providing comfort and good
service for those he dubbed foreign-exchange heroes.

He also questioned the use of US$20 taken from each worker at
departure which he suggested could be spent to provide better
services and free transportation for migrant workers.

"Actually, the philosophy to create a one-stop-service at the
terminal is applauded, but its implementation is still far from
ideal. They are not protected while abroad and they are not
protected here. Is this how we treat our heroes?," he told the
seminar.

He compared the current situation with the time when workers
arrived at Terminal Two. Although there were touts and
extortions, their practices were witnessed by the public.

"But now the terminal is closed off to the public."

Blame each other

The operational team at the terminal refuses to be held
responsible for all the irregularities at the terminal, blaming
each other for the current condition.

A staffer at Jakarta's office of the Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration, Larmaya Adji, said the ministry had done their
best. He blamed workers who take "bad" transportation.

"We're open to cooperation with non-governmental organizations
that are concerned with this matter," he said.

The director of operations at the airport's management Angkasa
Pura II, Mulyono DS, complained that they were often made the
scapegoat in the matter. They said their function was nothing
more than providing facilities at the terminal.

"Actually the people who should be managing transportation at
the airport are the airport management, which is us. But the
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration took over operations at
Terminal Three," he said.

He admitted that the effectiveness of the special gate is
questionable, saying that migrant workers should be treated as
common passengers.

M. Nurdin from the National Secretariat of All Indonesia
Migrant Workers Union said the police should pay attention to the
safety of migrant workers until they reach home.

"If the extortion continues, Terminal Three should be closed
down," he said. (bby)