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Sunday May 14, 2006

Indonesia maids to get better protection

BY K. PARKARAN

BALI: Indonesian maids headed for Malaysia will get better protection with immediate effect following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur here.

Under the MoU, which sees major changes to current practices, employers are required to sign personal contracts with their maids stipulating the wages agreed upon by the two parties.

And the maids must sign a letter of acceptance before they can start work.

However, the controversial bank account for maids rule has been modified; employers only need to open an account if requested by the maid.

The contract does not affect employers and 310,000 maids already working in Malaysia but the document must be signed as a condition of renewal of the work permit.

Employers are barred from deducting the entire pay for the first four or five months as being practised now. The maids must be given at least a quarter of their wages if there are to be any deductions to recover all costs incurred in bringing them in.

The other clauses are:

  • EMPLOYERS are required to forward their own details and certified copies of the contracts to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur;

  • EMPLOYERS must first bear all expenses to legalise maids including security deposits, transport including repatriation, work permits, medical examinations, foreign workers cards and premiums for the foreign workers compensation scheme;

  • RECRUITMENT agents and employers are not allowed to deduct maids' wages unless stipulated in the contract; and

  • THE human resources authorities must intervene if there’s a dispute between maids and employers.

    Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who witnessed the signing together with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said the problems that arose between the two countries over some allegation of maid abuses would now be resolved.

    “Although the problems involved only a small number, this MoU will settle the issue once and for all as the Indonesians were worried.

    “We just want them to come and work for us, so please take care of them as they are also human beings,” he told Malaysian journalists at the end of the D8 Summit here yesterday.

    He said the successful negotiation of the MoU followed his annual meeting with Susilo in Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra, in January.

    Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, who signed the document on Malaysia’s behalf, said this protection was necessary, as the Employment Act did not cover foreign workers.

    Indonesian Human Resources and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno said the MoU provided optimum protection for the maids in Malaysia, adding that the diplomatic hiccup over cases of maid abuses was settled in the “spirit of neighbourliness” and diplomatic harmony.

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