RI, Saudi Arabia review labor agreement

RI, Saudi Arabia review labor agreement

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Local labor groups have agreed with their Saudi Arabian
counterpart to review labor regulations to provide stronger, more
transparent legal protection for Indonesian workers employed in
the kingdom.

The Association of Indonesian Employment Agencies (IDEA) head
Adrie Nelwan said here on Monday local groups and Saudi agency
Sanarcom had agreed all Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia would
be required to get new passports and labor contracts co-signed by
their employers and agencies both countries.

"The new labor passports will be effective for three years and
if workers extend their contracts they must apply for new
passports from the immigration office in Indonesia or the
Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia. This aims at preventing the
abuse of old passports by labor exporters for different workers,"
he said.

Both countries would also design a new labor contract, which
would regulate workers' salaries and conditions and set out labor
dispute settlement procedures.

Indonesian labor exporters and their Saudi Arabian
counterparts would also be required to set up an on-line system
to control labor exports to that country.

The review was carried out after a bilateral meeting between
Manpower and Transmigration Minister Jacob Nuwa Wea and Saudi
Arabia's home affairs minister Ali Abdullah Namlah in Riyadh last
week.

The ministers agreed the Saudi Arabian government would take
action against Saudi employers who mistreated Indonesian workers,
while Indonesia would supply only skilled workers who were able
to communicate in Arabic.

Last year, dozens of people were killed and dozens of others
seriously injured after being tortured by Saudi Arabian
employers. Many of the workers were not paid, while others had
"compensation money" stripped off them by corrupt Indonesian
customs officials or airport con artists when they returned home.
Their plight damaged the two countries' bilateral ties.

Adrie said the local labor exporter associations would meet
soon to set the skills workers should have before they went
overseas.

"According to our concept, workers will be better protected if
they are better prepared. They must have the skills to do their
job to help avoid any complaints or disputes. Workers should know
what to do when trouble develops in their workplace or they are
involved in disputes with their employers. Besides the
regulations, labor exporters will be obligated to provide legal
and insurance protection for workers they send abroad," he said.

Labor exporters had also agreed to hire professional lawyers
to provide legal advocacy for any troubled workers in Saudi
Arabia and commercial insurance schemes to cover all risks they
would take during their employment.

Adrie said it had been difficult to provide legal protection
for Indonesian workers employed as housemaids because they were
treated as part of their employers' family and, therefore, they
were under jurisdiction of the Saudi Arabian home ministry.

"The problem has become even more complicated because many
workers have also used pilgrimage passports to work in Saudi
Arabia (illegally) and this has meant there has been an
oversupply in the labor market," he said. Most workers working
illegally in Saudi Arabia were abused by their labor agencies and
employers, he said.

According to Saudi Arabian government data, the number of
Indonesians officially working in the country is 400,000.
However, the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh estimates the actual
total is more like 700,000.

Indonesian Ambassador in Riyadh Maftuh Basyuni said about
16,000 Indonesians had used pilgrimage passports during the past
two months to work in the country.

The other labor groups to meet with the IDEA are the
Indonesian Labor exporters Association (Himsaki) and the Labor
Supplying Companies Association (Apjati).