Government to resume labor export to Malaysia

The government has promised to resume labor export to Malaysia, which has been suspended since June 25, an official says.

Head of the National Agency for the Protection and Placement of Migrant Workers, Jumhur Hidayat, said Saturday the government was set to lift the ban as Malaysia had agreed to improve protection and welfare of Indonesian migrant workers.

“Hopefully in the near future the talks on migrant workers’ protection and welfare will be completed and we can start sending our labor force to Malaysia,” Jumhur told Antara news agency during his trip to the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang.

The Manpower Ministry suspended the labor export to Malayasia following a string of violence against Indonesian maids employed in the neighboring country, which has become the main destination of Indonesian migrant workers.

The suspension has inflicted losses on labor exporting companies, including those in East Nusa Tenggara.