RI to phase out 'export' of unfit workers
RI to phase out 'export' of unfit workers
JAKARTA (JP): The government is encouraging the "export" of skilled workers, and phasing out the sending of untrained laborers to boost Indonesia's image as a free country.
"We need...to safeguard our dignity as a nation," President Soeharto said when opening a national coordination meeting on export of manpower.
The President said that although labor export has undoubtedly benefited both the workers, their families and the country, it has also brought about various problems.
Unskilled workers, the President said, are often embroiled in troubles that stem from their inability to defend their rights.
The group of 250 manpower suppliers, government officials, diplomats and economic experts will discuss the legal protection, insurance, labor export strategy, training and placement of workers.
The three-day congress is expected to come out with recommendations on how to make the export of labor Indonesia's biggest sources of foreign exchange.
The government has projected that an estimated 2.5 million people will be working overseas in the year 2000, contributing about US$12.5 billion in foreign exchange a year.
Currently, about 800,000 Indonesians, mostly unskilled, work legally overseas, notably in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Those working illegally are believed to number several hundred thousand.
Soeharto asked the participants to pay special attention to the legal protection to Indonesian workers abroad. "We know that not all countries have clear-cut rules on this issue."
The Ministry of Manpower should look into the possibility of opening a representative office in countries where many Indonesians are employed, to help make sure that their rights are respected, the President suggested.
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said yesterday that Indonesia meant to phase out the export of domestic maids. In the future, only trained workers would be licensed to work abroad in the industrial and service sectors, he said.
"The labor export strategy will be adjusted for higher salaries and the diversification of the market," he said.
He said that Indonesia would expand its labor market from its "traditional markets" -- Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Middle Eastern countries -- to Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Africa.
Figures at the Manpower Ministry show that between April 1, 1993 and February 1996, Indonesia exported 284,000 workers. They are expected to bring home US$900 million every year.
Critics have long demanded that the government stop exporting unskilled workers that mostly ended up becoming maids or drivers.
There have been reports of cases of sexual and physical abuse that the maids experience in Saudi Arabia.
Latief told labor suppliers not to treat workers like slaves. He said the companies should pay attention to their well-being and legal protection while they work abroad.
He stressed the need for proper vocational training for workers to be sent abroad.
Manpower suppliers should have their own training centers and they will have access to credit from state-owned banks to carry out training programs.
Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto said the Indonesian education system should be revamped to allow people to obtain practical skills.
In addition, the private sector should play a bigger role in the development of human resources, he added.
"All schools and universities should cooperate with the private sector to produce skilled graduates. Skills are more important than academic titles," he said. (rmspan)