New fees on foreign employers criticized

New fees on foreign employers criticized

JAKARTA (JP): A new fee on overseas employers hiring
Indonesian workers would only harm workers instead of protecting
them, activists said yesterday.

Salma Safitri of the Jakarta-based Solidaritas Perempuan
(Women's Solidarity for Human Rights Association) said instead of
imposing new fees, the billions of rupiah already paid to the
Indonesian Association of Labor Suppliers (Apjati) should be put
to good use.

Salma was responding to the Minister of Manpower Abdul
Latief's comment Tuesday that overseas employers would soon have
to pay US$100 per year during a contract with an Indonesian
worker.

The fee paid to the state, based on a presidential decree,
will cover training, legal protection and insurance.

"Extra fees on employers and labor suppliers to be paid to the
association have always been said to cover protection, but hardly
anything has come of it," Salma said.

Operations director of labor supplier PT Dharmakarya Rahardja,
Dewa Sanjaya, said suppliers have paid "protection" fees to the
new Human Resources Foundation headed by Minister Latief since
April 13.

"We have to pay at least $40 for every worker we send, but we
don't know our rights entailed to the fees," Dewa said.

Dharmakarya has sent 3,000 workers to Malaysia, Singapore and
Brunei Darussalam since it was set up in 1995, he said.

He said labor suppliers have no idea whether workers who
return due to accidents, for example, would gain compensation.

He said other labor suppliers are still debating the new fees.

"We want to be clear on both our rights and obligations," Dewa
said.

Labor suppliers are subjected to several fees and red tape and
have to be aware of changes in labor policies both in Indonesia
and in receiving countries, he said.

Dewa said a part of workers' wages for the first six months
are given to the supplier because they are not allowed to draw
levies from workers.

Salma said, "Often when workers complain of work conditions,
employers and suppliers get very angry, saying they have paid a
lot for the workers."

Dewa and the association (Solidaritas Perempuan) members said
separately the association has not been transparent on the use of
fees.

Dewa said PT Dharmakarya paid Rp 5 million in entrance fees to
the association, which has more than 180 members.

Wahyu, another Solidaritas member, said the House of
Representatives should request a formal explanation from the
association.

"It seems regulating migrant workers focuses more on garnering
levies than their protection," he said.

The association members said workers were frequently sent home
without any effort from the association to mediate in labor
conflicts, indicating protection fees were not used
appropriately.

Workers reporting rape, for instance, would only be said to
have shamed the country, Salma said.

From 1994 to 1999 the Ministry aimed to send 1,250,000 workers
abroad. In fiscal year 1998/1999, Indonesia expects $871 million
from remittances of Indonesians working in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia
and other countries. (anr)