Malaysia, RI to revise agreement on workers

Erwida Maulia ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 07/07/2009

Indonesia has said it will lift a ban on migrant workers traveling to Malaysia after the two countries agreed to revise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on domestic labor.

The two countries will form a joint working committee to specifically look at this revision, with the start of discussions scheduled for next week.

"I predict that [the revision] will be completed within two weeks. The MoU will be signed in early August by the two countries," Indonesia's Manpower and Transmigration Minister, Erman Soeparno, said to Antara news agency Monday.

"[After the revision] Indonesia will lift the suspension on domestic workers traveling to Malaysia."

Erman met with Malaysia's Police Chief Mussa Hassan and Human Resources Minister Subramaniam in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to discuss the matter.

He said Indonesia would permanently stop sending domestic workers to Malaysia if the revision failed to be agreed upon by the two countries.

Indonesia has enforced a ban on domestic workers traveling to Malaysia since June 26, following a series of abuse cases against Indonesian migrant workers in the neighboring country.

Erman said Indonesia wanted to revise the 2006 MoU on domestic workers so it was in line with the country's 2007 Human Trafficking Law and the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law.

Revision of the MoU, Erman said, would include revising the fee structures and transport costs for domestic workers, their salaries, their leave, political rights and right to religion and ownership of their passport.

Erman specifically asked Malaysia to stop discriminating against Indonesian workers in terms of salaries, saying they should be paid as much as their counterparts from other parts of the world.

"We want domestic workers from Indonesia to receive the same salaries as those [domestic workers] from other countries," he said.

"If an employee from another country earns RM 1,000 per month, Indonesian domestic workers must receive the same amount.

"We can tolerate disparity in salaries because of different employment sectors, but differing wages for the same sector is simply discrimination," Erman said.

Indonesia and Malaysia had long planned to revise the MoU but only met Monday to  discuss it. Malaysia is allegedly reluctant to revise the agreement because it would involve changing many internal regulations.