 |
Indonesian maids relaxing on their day off in Victoria Park, Hong Kong in this
November 2012 file photo. In the wake of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's
move to step up protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several
of the affected countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer
responsibilities and maid's welfare. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno) |
Jakarta. In
the wake of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's move to step up
protection of Indonesian domestic workers abroad, several of the affected
countries have been trying to resolve issues of employer responsibilities and
maids' welfare.
Last month,
Indonesia announced a ruling that will stop women from working as live-in maids
in foreign countries, including Malaysia. The new ruling also requires domestic
workers abroad to enter into formal contracts with their employers.
"Once
the maids become formal workers, their employers will no longer have to take
care of their lodgings, security and other things. They have to take care of
all their expenses [themselves], and whatever happens to them has nothing to do
with their employers," Malaysian Maid Employers Association president
Engku Ahmad Fauzi Engku Muhsein, as reported by Malaysian news outlet Bernama
on Wednesday (01/06).
He added
that if the domestic help sector was formalized, the current high recruitment
costs for maids must be lowered.
According
to the report, the government has set recruitment costs for Indonesian maids at
7,800 ringgit ($1,800), but agents have been charging employers as high as
12,000 ringgit, with an additional annual levy of 600 ringgit and a medical
examination costing 100 ringgit.
Datuk Raja
Zulkepley Dahalan, president of the Malaysian National Association of
Employment Agencies (Pikap), meanwhile stated that the plan would have social
implications and cause more complications between the two countries.
He suggested
that the government should consider only allowing 50 to 100 reliable and
financially strong agencies to control the hiring process. According to him,
these agencies would be able to provide housing and other services for the
domestic workers.
"I
understand that around 350,000 employment agencies are registered with the
government, while there are another 27,000 that are unregistered. These
agencies should be responsible for the welfare of the maids as they have the
capacity to provide them with the maximum protection," the Pikap president
told Bernama.
Penang
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also stated that the plan would affect the
Malaysian economy, as it could force many women out of the workforce, or even
result in men having to become stay-at-home dads.
"In
many households, both parents work so they need live-in maids to help them. So
without live-in maids, it will only force the women to leave the workforce and
stay home," the minister told the Malaymail Online news outlet last month.
According
to Migrant Care data, there were 6,5 million Indonesians working abroad in
2014, with 2,5 million of them employed in Malaysia mainly as maids,
construction workers and laborers.
