INDONESIA CONCERNED OVER INFLUX OF EXPATRIATES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 6 (Antara) - Amid the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), goods and services, including manpower, are flowing within a 'borderless region' that will force member states to become more efficient and build their competitive edge.         Many quarters have expressed concern at the possible influx of expatriates to Indonesia which still has high unemployment levels reaching some seven million.         The influx of expatriates can come not only from within the AEC region but also from other countries such as China. After all, China is described by analysts as a country that has a political mission to control the asset of other countries through its migrant citizens across the world.         Chinese migrants control many countries with the post-colonialism spirit, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, apart from Indonesia, according to Hatta Taliwang, the director of the Soekarno-Hatta Institute.         The domination of Chinese migrants is successful in Singapore which was previously a Malay state. Malaysia is an example of a country which is able to protect itself from the domination of Chinese migrants.

GOVT URGED TO STEP UP SUPERVISION OF EXPATRIATES

by Andi Abdussalam

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.

GOVT URGED TO TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT MASSIVE WORKERS' LAYOFFS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 4 (Antara) - Global economic gloom and the pronged drop in world commodity prices have affected businesses in Indonesia, with scores of large companies being forced to shut down their factories.          A score of major companies, such as PT Toshiba, PT Panasonic, PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia, and PT Ford Motor Indonesia are planning to close their factories in Indonesia, which will result in massive layoffs of workers.          This will lead to thousands of Indonesian workers being laid off and becoming unemployed.          The Indonesian Workers' Union Federation recorded that the number of workers affected by the layoffs has reached 1,700 at PT Panasonic, 970 at PT Toshiba, 1,000 at Panasonic Lighting Cikarang Bekasi, 1,200 at PT Samoin, and 500 at PT Starlink.          "These layoffs will threaten the livelihoods of the victims' families, particularly nondescript workers. I hope the government will think of the impact of the layoffs and take anticipatory steps," legislator Okky Asokawati, a member of Commission IX on manpower of the House of Representatives (DPR) said on Thursday.

PROVINCES MUST FULFIL WORKERS' DECENT LIVING COST CRITERIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 17 (Antara) - For Indonesian workers and employers, the government's announcement of its fourth economic policy package brought good news since it provided a sense of certainty to both, laborers and companies.          The package, which also deals with recipients of smallholders' credit and financial assistance for export-oriented small businesses, covered policies in the employment sector and is aimed at improving the welfare of workers through an annual wage hike scheme.          Based on the new policy, worker's minimum wages will increase every year, based on the economic growth and inflation.          The monthly minimum wage is the most crucial for workers since it will serve as the basis for the annual pay rise. If the economic and inflation rates increased by five percent each, the wage hike will be 10 percent of the monthly minimum wage.          As such, the minimum wage should meet the realistic cost of living, based on the decent living cost (KHL).          Therefore, all provinces in the country should meet the decent living cost in working out their provincial or regional minimum wages for workers.

INDONESIA MUST PREPARE ITS WORKFORCE TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 17 (Antara) - Indonesia has to prepare its human resources in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will take effect at the end of next year.          The Indonesian government has about a year's time to improve the skills of its workers to make them capable enough to compete with expatriates within the ASEAN region, where the free flow of trade and services, including that in the labor sector, will be implemented from December 31, 2015.          The government has, in fact, taken important preparatory measures to face the free trade region, as well as the free flow of expatriates in the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has a potential market of 625 million people.           "The government has taken various anticipatory steps to prepare Indonesia in the face of the implementation of the AEC," Rizal Edwin, the acting deputy assistant to the chief economic minister, stated on Tuesday (December 16).

RI MUST BE PREPARED TO COMPETE IN BORDERLESS LABOR MARKET

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 3 (Antara) - As a populous nation of about 240 million, Indonesia has to prepare its human resources to face stiff competition in a borderless labor market, particularly in the era of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).          Although it is rich in human resources, Indonesia has yet to improve their quality and equip them with competence-based certifications or else, as a large county with rich natural resources, it will only become a manpower market for other nations.          Even educated workers will face tough competition, let alone if the education system fails to be at par with the skills required in the job market. Indonesia continues to churn out new workforce, including those with adequately high education degrees.          Yet, the question arises whether the country's human resources are now able to face competition in the global market, or at least in the AEC, which will come into effect at the end of 2015.          Economic analyst Aviliani of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) expressed concern whether Indonesian workers will now be able to face the borderless manpower market in the era of global competition.

INDONESIAN ECONOMY'S WORKER ABSORPTION CAPACITY IS DECLINING

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 8 (Antara) - The capacity of the economy to provide new employment for job seekers in the country is declining as the recent one percent economic growth could only absorb 180 thousand workers.          This is only about 45 percent of the target, in which one percent of economic growth is expected to absorb 400 thousand workers. Therefore, the unemployment rate early this year dropped only marginally.          The unemployment rate dropped marginally to 5.7 percent or 7.15 million people in February 2014, from 5.82 percent or 7.2 million people in February 2013, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).          "Of course, we are not satisfied with this slight drop. We failed to achieve the target in creating jobs because Indonesia's economy was weakened as a result of the global economic crisis," Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said on Monday.          This raises concerns amid the upward trend in the population growth. It is feared that it will lead to an unemployment disaster. Currently, the total number of Indonesian workers has risen to 125.3 million, or an additional 1.7 million from that in 2013 when it was 123.64 million.

INDONESIA NEEDS SKILLED WORKERS TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 2 (Antara) - Indonesia is facing crucial manpower problems and need to improve the competitiveness of its human resources to enable them to compete in the labor market at home and in the ASEAN integrated region.         "Indonesia needs to find solutions and breakthroughs so that its manpower, as a national asset, will not become a burden for economic development," chairman of the Manpower Empowerment Affairs of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Frans Go said on Wednesday.          In addition to facing the threat of expatriate influx when the ASEAN Economic Community or the ASEAN free market integration comes into effect in 2015, Indonesia is also facing low workers' quality, limited job opportunities and a high unemployment rate.          With rich natural resources, Indonesia should have been able to use its manpower to develop its natural resources for the prosperity of its people. In national development, there are two important elements apart from technology and innovation, namely natural wealth and human resources.

SMALL FIRMS NEED TO NEGOTIATE STANDARD WAGE SYSTEM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 27 (ANTARA) - Workers in Indonesia are staging rallies because some companies have not paid the workers' wages as per the regulations.          Companies that have not paid their workers standard salaries are indeed small-scale firms. This is because small companies are still struggling to build their own business amidst the world economic crisis.          Substandard salary is the main factor that forces workers to stage rallies to express their frustrations and demands. That is why many workers who work in large firms do not take part in demonstrations.          According to the head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Chatib Basri, multinational companies have been able to pay their workers based on the current regulations. They are prepared to pay workers above the minimum wage requirement, and they are ready to hold dialogue sessions with workers.          The problem arises when small and medium scale companies are not able to pay the workers, as per the regulations. This forces workers to stage rallies. Some even force their colleagues who have been paid the right amount to join them, Chatib said.

GOVT TO LIFT OUTSOURCING SYSTEM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 30 (ANTARA) - The government looks set to lift the outsourcing recruitment system but will still maintain it in the recruitment of workers for non-core jobs. Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar has said that even though the outsourcing system had been lifted, companies would still be allowed to recruit outsourcing workers in five sectors, namely cleaning services, security, catering, transportation and oil and gas mining supporting services.          But the government's plan to eradicate the outsourcing system, according to the Association of Indonesian Employers (Apindo) chairman Sofyan Wanandi, ignored a previous agreement among labors, employers and the government.

2011 HISTORIC YEAR FOR OVERSEAS MANPOWER PLACEMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 30 (ANTARA) - Head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) Moh Jumhur Hidayat said 2011 was a historic year for the Indonesian manpower agency.          He said that this year his agency was able to apply an online system which enable provincial and district level governments, which so far were not involved, to control the placement of workers overseas which had often created problems.          "Previously, regional governments complained because they were not involved in  the handling of Indonesian migrant workers. Many of their residents worked abroad without their knowledge. Now all this has been improved," he said.          In addition, the  BNP2TKI launched a call center service to accelerate the process for workers to obtain justice facing labor problems.          Not less important is its achievement to handle Indonesian migrant workers problem overseas.          "Only this year did the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono conducted an overall evaluation over the dispatch overseas of Indonesian domestic helpers after 40 years of problematic trap," he said here on Thursday.

GOVT PONDERING 'LIVE-OUT' SYSTEM FOR ITS MIGRANT WORKERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 28 (ANTARA) - Often called "foreign-exchange income heroes" Indonesian migrant workers overseas, particularly those employed as domestic helpers, often get into trouble because of  disputes with their employers or are maltreated or even tortured, sexually harassed at their work places.         In most of the cases that have happened so far, they ended up as the losers  due to lack of protection or access to legal aid, and this fact led many  parties at home to criticize the government for failing to pay proper attention to migrant workers problems.     Therefore, the government is now considering introducing a 'live-out' system for its workers abroad, calling on Indonesian representatives abroad to pay more attention to them and asking Indonesian lawyers to provide them with legal advice when they are facing legal problems abroad.         "With the application of a 'live out' system, Indonesian domestic helpers (TKI) do not need to stay 24 hours at their employers' houses," Moh Jumhur Hidayat, head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Workers Abroad (BNP2TKI), said.          The BNP2TKI chief said Indonesian domestic helpers were often exposed to the risks of maltreatment by and conflict with their employers if they were employed on 'live-in' terms that required them to stay 24 hours in their employers' homes.

GOVT REVEALS EFFORTS TO SAVE ITS CITIZENS OVERSEAS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 24 (ANTARA) - Facing 'hails of bullets' from its critics that it has failed to protect Indonesians abroad as showcased by the beheading of Ruyati in Saudi Arabia last weekend, the government on Thursday explained what it has done overseas.          "I am not seeking a justification but merely presenting the  facts. In the past few days the government has been pictured as  lagging behind other countries in protecting their workers. Indeed there are opportunities for improvement but the reality is often different," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.           He made the remarks when he explained the government's measures to assist Indonesian nationals facing trouble in other countries and in response to criticism that Indonesia is even lagging behind the Philippines in protecting its nationals aboard.           The execution of the Indonesian domestic helper sparked an uproar at home and calls on the government to apologize to the people and to protect some 22 other Indonesian migrant workers who are now  on death row in Saudi Arabia.

GOVT UNDER FIRE FOR FAILURE TO PROTECT MIGRANT WORKER

Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 20 (ANTARA) - The government is now under fire from various quarters at home for its failure to protect  migrant worker Ruyati binti Satubi who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for  killing the wife of her Saudi employer, Khairiya bint Hamid Mijlid.          The execution of the Indonesian domestic helper sparked an uproar at home and calls on the government to apologize to the people and to protect some 22 other Indonesian migrant workers who are now still on death row in Saudi Arabia.          "President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar and Head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Overseas (BPN2TKI) Jumhur Hidayat, must apologize to the people of Indonesia because they failed to protect Indonesian citizens working overseas," Iberamsjah, professor of political and social sciences of the University of Indonesia (UI), said in a discussion here on Monday.          Former chairman of the Indonesian largest Muslim organization Nahdatul Ulama (NU), Hasyim Muzadi urged President Yudhoyono to take the necessary steps and to be serious in preventing the repetition of execution of Indonesian citizens in foreign countries. He made the remarks in response to the beheading of Ruyati over the weekend in Saudi Arabia.

EDUCATION NEEDS RESHAPING TO MEET EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 30 (ANTARA) - Unemployment problem in the country is not always caused by shortage of work fields but also by lack of human resources quality.  Even, many university graduates are often forced to pass a transitional period before they could get employment.          Referring to this condition, former minister for education and culture Wardiman Djojonegoro said the education system in Indonesia had not yet matched the work field. "We have to design an education system which has a link and match with employment so that graduates would be absorbed easily by the work field," Wardiman said recently.          The high unemployment rate in Indonesia requires decision makers in the education field to reshape the education system and adjust it to the need of employment. One of the main problems faced by the government is to reduce unemployment and poverty rates.          Based on data at the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) there is now a total of 8.1 million unemployed people. Most of them are within the productive age between 20 and 40 years.          This is because, according to Wardiman, the pattern of education in Indonesia is not yet 'friendly' with the work field. "Up to now there are still many education problems which remain unresolved, " the former minister said.