T

he tourism workers union in Bali has demanded stricter implementation of the manpower regulation, especially in monitoring the quality of incoming foreign workers, so as their presence on the Island of Paradise could better contribute to the improvement of local workers.

“The presence of foreign workers here has not contributed many positive benefits for the development of local talent. Often foreign workers come and go every two years, without adequately transferring their skills, thus, leaving the local associates to remain in the associate position until retirement, without the opportunity to advance,” chairman of the Tourism Workers Union (SP-Par) in Bali, Putu Satyawira Mahendra, said recently.

Manpower Law no. 13/2003 and Minister Regulation No. 02/2008 on procedures for the use of foreign workers have stipulated transfer of knowledge as an obligation for foreign workers while working in Indonesia. Sadly, the implementation of these regulations remains vague until today.

“The government as a regulator must really ensure the quality of foreign workers who come here. The regulations are already made, but the implementation is questionable,” said Satyawira.

Officials at the section for control and use of foreign workers in Bali’s Manpower and Transmigration Agency acknowledged that their hands were tied when it came to performing stricter controls due to the absence of a budget to monitor the quality of foreign workers.

“The term transfer of knowledge is just a formality because the parameters of what sorts of skills to transfer and how to monitor the transfer process have never been formatted. There has never even been any allocation for the monitoring of foreign workers in the past three years,” an official from the section, Manila Ayupijaya, said.

This year, the agency has been allocated Rp 50 million (US$5,135) in annual funds to monitor foreign workers, the sum is insignificant when compared to the number of companies employing foreign workers that it has to monitor throughout the year — there are 80, including hotels and other tourism-related businesses.

Manila cited that the agency’s survey in 2007 discovered only six of 100 companies in Bali ensured transfer of knowledge from foreign workers to local workers that enabled the locals to be promoted into positions previously held by expats.

Besides transfer of skills, the regulation also stipulates that expat workers are obliged to have their competency certified. Satyawira pointed out: “The government has the certification procedures that the local associates must adhere to, but none has been applied to the foreigners.”

He cited past cases of unqualified foreign workers with fake education certificates. The manpower agency has also recorded a number of cases of abuse of employment, where foreign workers have double jobs.