Jakarta,
July 21 (Antara) - The government has been urged to step up supervision
of illegal expatriates and improve its manpower skills to face stiff
competition in the manpower sector so that seven million unemployed
local workers can get jobs.
The
All Indonesian Workers Organization (OPSI) said the Manpower Ministry
should cooperate with workers and labor unions for supervising foreign
workers. Supervision carried out by the ministry should be supported by
all sides, including workers and their organizations.
"All
manpower services at the provincial and district levels should support
the supervision of expatriates," OPSI Secretary General Timboel Siregar
said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He
suggested that in order to increase the supervision of foreign workers;
the manpower ministry should provide a hotline as a means for conveying
information on expatriates, particularly illegal workers.
The
Manpower Ministry will also directly repatriate or deport any illegal
foreign workers or those who violate Indonesian labor regulations,
Manpower Minister M Hanif Dhakiri said on Tuesday.
"If
the public knows anything about them (illegal workers), please report
to us and we will immediately deport them. These illegal foreign workers
will be directly deported from Indonesia if the government finds out
about their existence," Hanif said.
Therefore,
state-owned enterprises (SOEs), local companies and workers should be
involved in the supervision of workers and in carrying out development
in Indonesia, he added.
According
to Timboel, President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) Nawacita development
priority programs are oriented not only towards achieving results, but
also a process, which maximally involves SOEs, local companies and
Indonesian workers in national development.
"There
are still seven million unemployed workers and about 28 million people
are still under the poverty line. If development in Indonesia is
entrusted to foreigners and expatriates, President Jokowi will fail to
meet the message of the Constitution, namely providing proper jobs and
income for the people of Indonesia," Timboel said.
He
further said the Indonesian people will be proud if they see the
development of infrastructure in Indonesia, which is the result of the
work of Indonesian sons, not of expatriates.
Timboel
made these remarks while referring to a foreign loan deal that involves
an agreement to allow the use of a foreign company, expatriates and
materials from China for the development of a project.
He
also stressed that the National Development Planning (Bappenas) and the
Ministry of Finance should be responsible for the influx of
expatriates, particularly those coming from China.
"We
protest against Bappenas and the Finance Ministry over the external
debt in an agreement where projects are to be carried out by foreign
companies, expatriates and materials from China," he said in a press
statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He
said the government should also have the courage to revise all external
debt agreements, which allow for an emphasis on the use of foreign
resources, rather than on maximizing the roles of SOEs and local
workers.
Timboel
noted that the government should maximize domestic resources in its
efforts to cover its deficit. If it is not able to find resources at
home, the government should seek external debts, which will allow the
use of local companies and local workers.
The
OPSI also urged Bappenas and the Finance Ministry to hand over the
non-tax state revenues obtained from the expatriates worth Rp1.09
trillion annually to the Manpower Ministry.
"This
is based on the elucidation of Article 47 point 1 of Law No. 13/203,
which states that the obligation to pay compensation is intended to
support efforts in improving the quality of Indonesian human resources,"
Timboel said.
Besides
improving the quality of local human resources, the fund can also be
used to finance efforts to reinforce supervision of expatriates,
including foreign workers from China.
After all, the government could not prevent the entry of foreign
workers especially after the ASEAN Economic Community came into effect,
though the workers are required to obey the country's regulation.
The public is therefore encouraged to report any presence of illegal
foreign workers to the local or provincial labor office and the labor
ministry to directly monitor and crack down.
According to Manpower Minister M Hanif Dhakiri, regulations for foreign
workers are quite strict in Indonesia. There is a requirement of
competence and transfer of technology. Only skilled workers are allowed.
As long as they enter legally and do not violate the rules for
foreigners, there is no problem.
Foreign workers in Indonesia are also only allowed to occupy certain
positions which are limited to the lowest position of an engineer or
technician.
"We
are not concerned about the influx of foreign workers as long as they
are legal and do not violate regulations. However, when foreign workers
are here illegally and violate regulations they will immediately be sent
home. As simple as that," Dhakiri said.
There are clear rules for foreign labor in companies in Indonesia,
therefore employers of foreign workers are reminded to ensure that they
comply with local regulations, the minister also said.
Minister Dhakiri also denied the issue of the 10 million laborers
entering from China as part of a commitment to the country's
cooperation.
The number of Chinese workers in the country is fluctuating every year
at around 14-16 thousand, or about 20-22 percent, of the total 70
thousand foreign workers in Indonesia.
Data
from the labor ministry has recorded that the number of foreign workers
in Indonesia has decreased since 2011 from 77,307 to 72,427 in 2012,
68,957 in 2013, 68,762 in 2014, and 69,025 in 2016. In 2016, between
January and June, the number dropped to 43,816. ***4*** (A014/INE)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 21-07-2016 19:44:1 |
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