More than 600,000 workers employed illegally overseas
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
More than 600,000 Indonesian migrant workers, mostly women, face labor exploitation in several countries as they are employed illegally, while hundreds are stranded at several embassies because of problems that developed with employers, labor exporters said on Thursday.
Husein Alaydrus, the chairman of the Association of Labor Export Companies (Apjati), said that despite its tight policy on migrant workers, Malaysia still employs between 400,000 and 600,000 Indonesians who migrate to the neighboring country illegally.
"Out of some 1,000,000 Indonesians working in Malaysia, about 50 percent are employed illegally because they do not hold the necessary documents, including immigration permits and working visas, to work in that country. The more the Malaysian authorities net illegal workers through routine operations, the more Indonesians are entering that country illegally," he told The Jakarta Post.
The Malaysian government has enforced a tight policy on migrant workers, especially those from Indonesia, due to two consecutive acts of violence incited by Indonesian workers in Johor last October and near Kuala Lumpur last December. Over the past six months, Malaysia has also expelled tens of thousands of Indonesian workers for illegally entering the country, undermining the two countries' bilateral ties.
He also pointed out that more than 22,000 of 400,000 Indonesians employed in the Middle East were not registered at Indonesian embassies and their presence had gone undetected.
More than 138 Indonesian workers, who have had problems develop with their employers, were stranded at the Indonesian embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia because they had no money to return home.
"They left their workplace for numerous reasons. But most have left their employers' homes because they were mistreated or underpaid," he said.
Anthon Sihombing, a labor exporter, said the rampant smuggling of Indonesian workers overseas had a lot to do with the absence of the government's tight measures against unauthorized businesspeople and companies without labor export licenses and the ease of ordering Indonesian workers to work abroad.
"So far, many individuals and unauthorized companies have exported workers overseas without any knowledge of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and Apjati. This means the workers are employed without a labor contract regulating their payments, working conditions and legal protection," he said.
Separately, Muhammad Yunus, a labor observer, blamed the government for the employment of illegal Indonesian workers because it failed to deregulate the labor export ruling and take action against the smuggling of illegal workers abroad.
"Labor exploitation can be found easily, not only at home but also overseas. It is natural but inhumane of employers to employ cheap laborers because of an absence of the workers' labor contract and other necessary documents," he said.
He said the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration should improve cooperation with the immigration office, port authorities and the Navy to curb rampant smuggling of illegal workers.