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View all search resultsHouse resumes deliberation of domestic worker protection bill
The House of Representatives has resumed deliberations on the domestic worker protection bill this week, continuing their progress on the long-gestating piece of legislation which has picked up pace since earlier this year.
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Daily routine: A domestic worker performs her daily chores on July 10, 2019, in Jakarta. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
T
he House of Representatives has resumed deliberations on the domestic worker protection bill this week, continuing their progress on the long-gestating piece of legislation which has picked up pace since earlier this year.
Since Monday, the House’s Legislation Body (Baleg) has been discussing proposed articles in the bill, which seeks to establish a legal framework to regulate and better protect domestic workers in the country, who are not considered formal workers under the prevailing labor law.
On Tuesday, legislators debated what entitlements household employers should provide for domestic workers.
“We’ve established that domestic workers’ paychecks have to be reasonably humane, and there should also be a holiday allowance for them,” Baleg deputy chair Martin Manurung of the NasDem Party said on Wednesday.
According to the draft bill, domestic workers are household employees of varying posts, including cooks, cleaners, babysitters, caregivers, gardeners and security guards.
The domestic worker protection bill has been on and off the table at the House since 2004. It finally made a breakthrough in 2023, when lawmakers agreed to start formal discussion with the government following mounting calls from labor rights organizations and other civil society groups.
Pressure for the House to pass the law has continued to grow from rights groups following many cases of abuse toward domestic workers, who typically work long hours with meager salaries in Indonesia.
