Regulation on domestic helpers effective soon

Regulation on domestic helpers effective soon

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is poised to carry out a
regulation on the welfare of domestic helpers next month, Head
the City Manpower Office Suhatman said yesterday.

Suhatman told reporters that his office is still waiting for
more technical guidance on how to implement the regulation, which
is currently being reviewed by the city administration.

"The review is expected to be completed next month. We hope to
start applying the regulation as soon as possible," he said.

The regulation being reviewed, Suhatman said, stipulates that
any family employing a servant without training from a servant
distribution foundation must pay Rp 2,500 per year to the city
administration as a training fee.

"Foundations that distribute servants should pay Rp 500,000
every year to the city administration," he said.

The regulation assures that the families, as employers, make
an effort to better, and protect, the welfare of their helpers,
he explained.

"The city administration is striving to increase the quality
of servants by providing a training program for them," Suhatman
said.

He explained that the training program is designed to help put
servants in a stronger position than their current one, which is
open to all forms of abuse.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the All-Indonesian Workers Association
(SPSI) Salam Sumangat hailed the initiative taken by the city
administration to increase the welfare of Indonesia's servants.

"It's very good even though its implementation will face
various problems," Salam said.

He explained there are currently about 800,000 families who
employ servants in the city. A problem will arise, he speculated,
when the city administration starts registering all of the
servants in the city.

"However, the city should not hesitate to apply the regulation
and evaluate the problems that hamper its implementation," he
said.

At training center workshop yesterday, the Deputy Governor for
Social Welfare, R.S. Museno, said that out of the 300,000
newcomers that arrive in the city, 80 percent have only a primary
school education and the majority will work as servants.

Museno said that it is important to provide a training center
for them to create higher quality workers in the city. (yns)