Jakarta stops export of maids immediately

Published: Friday June 26, 2009 MYT 6:37:00 AM
Updated: Friday June 26, 2009 MYT 10:50:48 AM
Jakarta stops export of maids immediately


JAKARTA: Indonesia has ordered employment agencies to stop sending its citizens to Malaysia to work as maids.

Indonesian Manpower Minister Erman Suparno said the decision – effective today – would remain in place until safeguards are implemented in Malaysia.

“I had spoken of the temporary halt in bilateral talks with the Malaysian Human Resources Minister (Datuk Dr S. Subrama-niam) during the International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 12,” Erman said in a statement yesterday.

He said he would send a letter on the decision to all related agencies today.

Erman said the ban was ordered following a flood of complaints from domestic workers that their employers had abused them.

The Indonesian minister said he would travel to Malaysia early next month to meet Dr Subrama-niam, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, the Immigration Department and the police to discuss a review of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on maids.

Besides the ban, the statement also gave notice that maids have the right to hold onto their passports. It also stated the standard rights of maids like wage increments and a day off each week.

More than 300,000 Indonesian women work as maids in Malay-sia.

Around 3,000 new maids head for Malaysia every month, most of them placed through specialised employment agencies.

Maids have filed up to 150 complaints every month with the authorities in Indonesia, alleging ill-treatment, overwork, unpaid salaries and physical abuse in Malaysia. — Agencies

The Star