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)