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Island in focus: Javanese, Madurese set for foreign workers
East Java Governor Soekarwo on Monday announced that his administration was preparing a bylaw that stipulated foreign workers to master the Javanese and Madurese languages to be eligible for work in the province
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ast Java Governor Soekarwo on Monday announced that his administration was preparing a bylaw that stipulated foreign workers to master the Javanese and Madurese languages to be eligible for work in the province.
'We are preparing a bylaw on labor protection. This bylaw will stipulate that foreign workers entering East Java must master the Indonesian language and [local] languages spoken daily by local residents, namely Javanese and Madurese langauges,' Soekarwo told reporters.
Soekarwo said the bylaw draft was currently under deliberation in the East Java Regional Legislative Council (DPRD).
Soekarwo said the policy requiring that foreign workers master local languages did not violate any regulations on free trade set up by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
'The WTO allows [the implementation] of such a policy as long as it is meant to protect consumers. In this context, the consumers are local labor, so they need to be protected,' he said.
Data from the East Java Manpower Agency shows that 4,700 foreign workers are currently working in East Java in various sectors. From that number, 1,400 workers entered the province during the first eight months of this year alone.
