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Malaysia no longer allowed to recruit RI workers directly
Manpower Minister Hanif Dakhiri, who accompanied President Joko âJokowiâ Widodoâs on his recent state visit to Malaysia, has announced that Malaysian employers will no longer be allowed to recruit Indonesian workers directly
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anpower Minister Hanif Dakhiri, who accompanied President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's on his recent state visit to Malaysia, has announced that Malaysian employers will no longer be allowed to recruit Indonesian workers directly.
'All recruitment of Indonesian workers for employment in Malaysia must be conducted by authorized labor-supplying companies in accordance with the official procedure that was established in the bilateral agreement between the two countries in 2006 and 2011,' Hanif said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He said the government would take harsh measures against regional administrations found guilty of illegally sending workers abroad, and that the Malaysian government had vowed to sanction and fine employers with hiring practices that violated the agreement.
'Many Indonesian workers employed as house maids and gardeners and in construction projects and on oil palm plantations have been left unprotected because they were recruited directly from regional administrations and from unlicensed supplying agencies that denied them detailed labor contracts,' Hanif said.
Hanif said he and his Malaysian counterpart had signed a 'one-gate recruitment policy' to ensure that all workers received a contract ensuring at least the minimum wage, a weekly day-off, annual vacation and working hours.
'The one-gate recruitment policy will be followed up with other ministries. With this recruitment model, there will be no illegal workers because all workers will be recruited under the official procedure,' he said.
The minister also said Jokowi and his Malaysian counterpart had agreed to scale-up efforts to increase protection for Indonesian workers.
He added that the Malaysian government had agreed to allow the Indonesian government to set up community learning centers (CLCs) in Sabah and Serawak, to provide education for thousands of workers' children in the two federal states.
'The two heads of government are of the same opinion; that the two countries have an obligation to provide education to the children of migrant workers working in the neighboring country.
Hanif promised to continue monitoring the performance of manpower-supplying agencies to ensure that only qualified workers were being sent abroad.
'Agencies failing to provide minimum training programs before departure will be punished, or their licenses will be revoked. We will only send qualified or skilled workers overseas,' he said. (***)
