Low pay awaits Indonesian workers in Hong Kong

Low pay awaits Indonesian workers in Hong Kong

Finding a job is not always easy. Some have to leave their
family and homelands to try their luck abroad. Yenni Kwok, a
contributor to The Jakarta Post, recently went to Hong Kong to
observe the condition of Indonesian migrant workers on the
island. The following two articles are her reports.

HONG KONG (JP): In Victoria Park, not far from the Causeway
Bay shopping area, some brown-skinned young women swayed their
bodies to the dangdut music that blasted from a cheap portable
stereo.

Some walked around with Sogo or Daimaru shopping bags.
Hundreds of others sat on the grass, having a picnic and chatting
in the Javanese language.

"I am here just to have fun, trying to forget my problems and
stress," said Endah on why she spent her Sunday with hundreds of
fellow Indonesians in the park.

Endah, a petite and feisty woman from East Java, is one of
19,800 Indonesian women who work as domestic helpers in this
British colony. For the past three years, they have annually
donated Rp 50 billion of remittance to their home country.

Behind the happy faces during the day outing, however, many
hide stories of abuse. Indonesian domestic helpers are generally
underpaid and overworked. They do not have any support group in
case of miseries, and the recruitment agencies usually keep their
passports and other important documents which are sometimes
essential to file complaints.

Hong Kong labor ordinance stipulates that the minimum wage for
a domestic helper is HK$ 3,860 (Rp 1,200,000) per month. However,
a salary for an Indonesian worker usually falls between HK$2,000
to HK$3,000, said Rex Varona, a coordinator at the Asian Migrant
Center.

The cheap rate of Indonesian workers is a public secret in
Hong Kong. Remy Borlongan, the chairperson of the Asian Domestic
Workers Union (ADWU), once saw people distributing flyers
promoting cheap Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong subways.

In an employment contract, agencies and employers usually
quote an employee's wage as HK$ 3,860 or higher, but in reality
the employers are paid a lot less.

Indonesian workers are not the only ones whose wages are
below minimum rates, said Devi Novianti, advisor at the Helpers
for Domestic Helpers, a church-based volunteer organization.
Indian and Sri Lankan workers also experience the same abuse.

The only difference is Indian and Sri Lankan workers are
usually not aware of minimum wage regulations, while Indonesian
workers know about it but choose to remain quiet.

Most Indonesian workers are recruited by employment agencies
from rural areas in East Java. They are usually graduates or
dropouts from secondary school.

The usual justification for lower wages is their lack of work
experience and their inability to communicate with employers.

Endah admits that her wage is below the minimum wage, but she
accepts it. "I deserve it because my English is no good," she
said.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong acknowledges
the reduced wage problem. While they have pledged to help any
Indonesian workers' claim of grievances over reduced wages, they
are not always in a position to stop the agencies' practices,
according to Suhadi Salam, the head of the consulate's
information section.

"If we limit the agencies, they may be reluctant to recruit
more domestic workers. The ones who will suffer are Indonesian
workers themselves. There will be no more remittance to East
Java," Suhadi said.

For a long time, Filipino workers, who now total 135,000, have
been Hong Kong's favorite choice for domestic helpers because
many of them, like Borlongan, have a university education. The
employers are willing to pay the minimum wages to Filipinos
because they can speak English and can teach it to the employers'
children, Varona said.

However, the trend is Indonesians are going to Hong Kong at a
much higher rate than their Filipino counterparts. "The
Philippines government has tried to reduce exporting workers, and
consequently, people will look for Indonesians," Varona said.

The reduced wage has been the main attraction for Hong Kong
people to hire Indonesians. The number of Indonesian workers in
Hong Kong now only ranks second after the Filipinos. The past
three years has seen the biggest boom for Indonesian workers.

The Indonesian government itself has long promoted labor
exportation.

But in the 1990s, the strategy has become more necessary to
relieve the unemployment of unskilled workers and to generate
foreign remittance to help pay off foreign debts. Currently,
Indonesia's outstanding foreign debt amounts to more than US$90
billion, the second largest debt among Asian countries after
China.

Passports

The increase in the number of Indonesian workers is evident
at the gateway of Hong Kong's international airport terminal.

One late night at Kai Tak Airport, groups of Malay-looking
women in uniformed jackets and sweaters stand quietly waiting for
immigration clearance. They are in sharp contrast to the shrill
sound of Cantonese speakers and impatient tourists.

Although unaware, it might be the last night they hold their
own passports. Recruitment agencies usually keep their documents
and copies of their employment contract although this practice is
considered a criminal act and can be reported to the police.

Nevertheless, Indonesian workers themselves do not mind. Take
Endah for example. She does not mind that her passport is
retained by the agency and understands that it is necessary to
prevent a worker from running away.

Even the consulate prefers the agencies to keep the
passports, but for a different reason. Suhadi said the practice
is to prevent somebody from borrowing an Indonesian worker's
passport to get a bank loan and then disappear.

"Indonesians are usually trusting people. Besides, agencies
are legally acknowledged institutions," Suhadi said.

But Devi insists the agencies have no right to keep the
passports, whatever the reason. After all, the owners hold the
rights to them, not the agents.

Although 75 percent of the reported cases to Helpers for
Domestic Helpers concerns underpayment, physical abuse still
occurs.

While physical abuse is not an isolated problem among
Indonesian migrant workers, Indonesians are usually in a more
disadvantaged position, Varona said.

Filipino workers are more daring to speak up because they can
speak English and can turn to their government representatives in
the British colony. Thai workers, who rank third in number after
Filipinos and Indonesians, generally cannot speak English but
their consulate provides them support and shelter.

Indonesians, on the other hand, do not have such a support
network. They usually seek shelter from NGOs, which they are not
usually familiar with. Before the migrant workers arrive, they
are usually warned not to become involved with NGOs, Varona said.

In case of grievances with their employers, the consulate
general usually suggest workers go to their own agency to settle
the issue out of court. But the agencies are known to side with
the employers.

That was the case with Sri (not her real name). Since Sri
arrived in Hong Kong to work four months ago, she has been
physically abused. She was slapped because she could not
understand her employers who spoke Cantonese, because she
overcooked the rice, or because her hands were sweaty when
she held the child. "I just want to earn a living for my family,
but why do I end up being beaten up?" Sri asked herself while
holding back tears.

One day, pretending she was going to take the garbage out,
Sri ran away. She called the agency, but they told her to return
to her boss. She also called the consulate, but she hung up
because the person who answered the phone did not speak
Indonesian. She finally found shelter at the Asian Migrant Center
and waited for a settlement.

In less than four months, this British colony will be
returned to China. What will be the plight of Indonesian workers?
Will they be able to continue working under Chinese rule?

So far there has been no discussion between the Indonesian
and Chinese government about the situation, Suhadi said. But the
Philippines President Fidel Ramos has already obtained assurance
from the Chinese leader, Jiang Zemin, that Filipino workers can
continue to work after the hand over.

"We hope this policy will extend to other migrant workers,
including Indonesia," Suhadi said.