WORKERS THREATEN TO HOLD NATIONWIDE STRIKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 10 (Antara) -- Thousands of workers from 41 trade unions took to streets in Jakarta and in other parts of Indonesia on Wednesday to ask for a hike in their wages.          The movement was also held to demonstrate their rejection of the increase in the prices of fuel.          The workers threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the government failed to meet their demands raised jointly in the capital city of Jakarta.          "We will see how the government reacts to the demands we raised in today's rally," a spokesman for the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union (FSPMI), Rusli, said.          Groups that claimed to hold demonstrations across the country on Wednesday include the Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPI), KSPSI, KSBSI, SPN, and FSPMI, among other workers' organizations. They want the government to raise their minimum wages and to revoke its recent decision to raise subsidized fuel prices. They added that the government should not raise fuel prices when the crude price of the world was declining.

GOVT ASKED TO RESOLVE ISSUE OF OUTSOURCING WORKERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 29 (Antara) - Indonesia's outsourced workers, who fought for their aspirations during the term of the previous government, hope that the new administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo helps to improve their uncertain fate.          Activists and lawmakers also voice the aspirations of these workers, urging President Jokowi and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Rini Soemarno to resolve the issue.          Thousands of workers are employed for years under the outsourcing system at SOEs, wherein they worked based on contracts for a certain period without official appointments.         "The issue of outsourcing workers for state-owned companies has been prevalent for nearly two years, but it has yet to be resolved, despite the fact that all conditions for the implementation of the system recommended by the SOE minister have been met," Ribka Tjiptaning, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), said in a press statement on Saturday.         Tjiptaning urged President Jokowi to resolve the problem.         The same call was earlier voiced by activist Poempida Hidayatulloh, chairman of the People's Welfare Organization (Orkestra). He stated that SOE Minister Rini Soemarno should resolve the problem related to the system of outsourcing workers, which employs them and leaves them with an uncertain future.

OVER 20,000 POLICE, SOLDIERS TO GUARD JAKARTA STRIKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 30 (Antara) - More than 20,000 security personnel will be deployed to maintain peace in Jakarta in the face of the industrial workers' national strikes planned for Thursday and Friday.          Jakarta Police Spokesman Senior Commissioner Rikwanto said on Wednesday that the Jakarta Police will field 17,276 police officers who will be assisted by 3,800 military personnel and 819 public order officials.          Thousands of Jakarta workers have held rallies since Monday, demanding wages be increased by 50 percent from Rp2.2 million to Rp3.7 million per month, the end of outsourcing and an increase in the decent living cost (KHL) from Rp1.9 million to Rp2.7 million.          Rikwanto said that the number of security personnel was not increased from that deployed since Monday in the face of the national strike, yet these personnel would be distributed to certain sensitive spots.          Strict security will also be in place at vital locations, such as the State Palace, the Parliamentary complex and the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle.      Industrial workers in Jakarta have been holding rallies since Monday, prior to their national strike scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

WORKERS THREATENING TO STAGE NATIONAL STRIKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 29 (Antara) - Jakarta workers, rallying outside City Hall on Tuesday, threatened to call a two-day national strike if their demand for a 50-percent wage increase  was not met.          "We came here to meet Jokowi and Ahok (the Jakarta governor and deputy governor). We are demanding a raise in the provincial minimum wage (UMP) and inclusion of more items in the Decent Livelihood Components (KHL)," said Winarso, the chairman of the regional executive board of the Federation of Metal Workers Unions (FSPMI).          Thousands of Jakarta workers held a rally in Jakarta on Tuesday, demanding wages be increased by 50 percent from Rp2.2 million to Rp3.7 million per month, the end of outsourcing and an increase in the KHL from Rp1.9 million for 60 items to Rp2.7 million for 84 items.          Winarso said that workers in Jakarta should receive a monthly salary at a range between Rp3.4 million and Rp3.7 million.          "We also reject Presidential Instruction No. 9 / 2012 because it enables employers to pay workers a low wage. We opt for discussions between workers and employers to decide a decent KHL for items. We demand that the current 60 KHL items, as regulated, be revised," Winarso said.

WORKERS' WAGE DEMAND CONSIDERED UNREALISTIC

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 5 (Antara) - The decent standard of living of laborers has continued to increase in the current economic conditions but raising their wages too high will cause some of their companies to go bankrupt.          Thus, workers who staged rallies to demand a salary increase up to 50 percent are asked to understand the country's economic conditions because high wage hikes could cause firms' closures or workers' layoffs.          "The country is now being hit by economic crisis. The local currency rupiah continues to weaken against the US dollar which affects the economy. So, we hope workers would understand this condition. Employers and workers should support each other," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said in the City Hall on Tuesday in response to labor rallies demanding salaries increase.          Millions of laborers, however returned to streets on Thursday and held a rally in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, demanding wage increase and immediate implementation of the National Health Insurance (Jamkesmas).

WORKERS REJECT 15 PCT WAGE INCREASE PROPOSAL

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 1 (ANTARA) - Industry Minister MS Hidayat's idea to raise regional minimum wages by 15 percent for labor-intensive and small industries was rejected by a workers association on Saturday.          The minister proposed the idea to raise regional minimum wages by 15 percent following the outcries of business officials, particularly small businesses, over the newly raised Jakarta minimum wage, setting the minimum wage at Rp2.2 million by Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo.          Chairman of the Indonesian Labor Workers Association (MPBI), Said Iqbal, said his organization was opposed to the minister's proposal for a 15 percent wage increase, as well as the opportunity for industries to file a request for a postponement of the new Jakarta minimum wage hike for next year.

WAGE INCREASE TRIGGERS INDUSTRY OUTCRIES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 29 (ANTARA) - Following increased demonstrations in Jakarta by workers who demanded wage increases and an end to the outsourcing of labor, the Jakarta governor decided on November 14, 2012 to raise the monthly regional minimum wage from Rp1.5 million to Rp2.2 million. However, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's move on wages is being viewed by the business community as harming labor-intensive industries since the wage increase far exceeded the basic living cost (KHL). Management is of the view that the ideal regional minimum wage (UMP) for Jakarta is about Rp1.9 million per month.          "KHL should ideally be set at Rp1.9 million, but the Jakarta governor has raised it to Rp2.2 million, or about 44 percent. This is just proof of the fact that the governor wants labor-intensive industries to slump and is encouraging them to relocate their factories from Jakarta," Ernovian G Ismy, secretary general of the Indonesian Textile Producers (API), said on Tuesday.  Further, some 60 companies will ask the Jakarta city administration to postpone the introduction of the 2013 minimum wage, saying that the Rp 2.2 million ($229) per month set by the government is too burdensome.

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.

MORE INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS NEEDED OVERSEAS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 30 (ANTARA)  -  Indonesia, which has so far sent some six million migrant workers overseas and received an average annual remittance of Rp100 trillion, has recently received requests for more workers from a number of employer countries.          The recently revealed requests for immediate employment came from the Middle Eastern countries where about 1.5 - 1.7 million Indonesian migrant workers are already working.          Kuwait, one of the Middle Eastern countries, for example, has asked for an immediate placement of at least 1,600 migrant workers in different fields.          Requests also came in from South Korea which needs some 10,500 Indonesian migrant workers and Germany which is ready to give jobs to about 7,000 Indonesian nurses.          According to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, about 30 major companies in Kuwait need about 1,600 Indonesian professional workers in various fields.          "A total of 30 leading companies in Kuwait have expressed their desires to recruit 1,687 professional workers from Indonesia to be employed in various fields," the embassy said in press statement made available to ANTARA last week.          The embassy has on earlier occasions facilitated a business meeting between major Kuwaiti companies and the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).          Companies attending the business meeting included M.H. Al Shaya, Kuwait Automotive Imports Company, Radisson Blu Hotel, Kout Food Group, McDonalds Kuwait, Al Ghanim Industries, Carrefour, Mustafa Karam & Sons Company and Costa Del Sol Hotel.          These Kuwaiti companies expressed their need for workers, some even wanting to recruit before the end of the current fasting month, the embassy said.          According to the report, they need about 100 employees in the fast food sector, 200 retailers at hypermarkets, 409 workers in the manufacturing field, 300  transportation bus drivers, 150 welders, 163 automotive technicians and 365 nurses.          In his address, Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Ferry Adamhar said that Indonesian workers working in mainstream sectors are spread out across various parts of the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf countries.          "Employer companies have expressed desires to recruit Indonesian professionals after seeing their hard work and dedication," he claimed.          South Korea, which has so far absorbed 39,652 Indonesian migrant workers, has also asked for 10,500 additional migrant workers from Indonesia.          "South Korea needs 10,500 workers from Indonesia in 2012, and 5,108 Indonesian workers have been sent to South Korea as of July 5 this year," said Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), in Aceh province over the weekend.          Jumhur said Indonesia's quota for placement in South Korea reached 10,500 this year. Workers will be employed in the industrial, manufacturing, service and agriculture sectors.          The BNP2TKI head said that besides Kuwait and South Korea, Germany has also expressed its need for migrant workers from Indonesia. Germany needs some 7,000 workers, particularly nurses.          "Thus, Indonesian migrant workers, particularly from the nursing and midwifery sector, have a great market potential overseas. What remains to be done is to prepare them and to be ready to bridge the overseas demand for nurses and midwives," Jumhur said.          After all, nurses from Indonesia are known for their unmatched quality. This has been proved in Japan where Indonesian nurses excelled their Philippine counterparts in state exams.          "Many Indonesian and Filipino nurses work at Japanese hospitals and nursing homes for the elderly people," Jamhur said in Pekanbaru at the Riau province on Monday.          He said that the results of a national exam conducted by the Japanese government on March 26, 2012, revealed that a total of 69 (34 nurses and 35 care workers) Indonesian nurses passed the exam in comparison to only  13 nurses from the Philippines. The nurses attended the exam following a year¿s work experience at Japan.          He said that the placement of nurses in Japan was through a government-to-government (G-to-G) program carried out via the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Tokyo in November 2006.          BNP2TKI on behalf of the Indonesian government followed up on the agreement in cooperation with the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) which represented the Japanese government.          Through the cooperation, BNP2TKI was asked to prepare 1,000 nurses for work in Japan. "We will sign a new agreement if the 1,000 quota is already met following the continuation of the program," Jumhur said.          He said that the agency¿s main task was to seek employment programs for migrant Indonesian workers overseas. In line with this, the agency was seeking and securing overseas employment opportunities for skilled Indonesian migrant workers.          "While the need for meeting the overseas employment market is very urgent, the supply of workers is still being furnished,"  he said at a general lecture to nursing students held in the Imelda Indonesian Workers General Hospital at Medan, North Sumatra.          Jumhur said BNP2TKI has appointed a foreign and promotions cooperation deputy to seek and secure employment opportunities while mapping out employment markets overseas for the domestic workers.          The BNP2TKI chief hoped that the many institutes of higher learning in Indonesia and other educational and skill institutions would continue to teach techniques that are used abroad.          Moreover, migrant workers have proven their ability to mitigate the impact of global economic crisis in the country and have as a result sent an annual remittance of about Rp100 trillion.          Around six million Indonesian migrant workers work in 116 countries with remittance over Rp100 trillion annually, Jumhur said.         Most of the Indonesian migrant workers work in mainstream sectors, and those working in fringe sectors are found only in 14 countries.          But this year, according to Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, remittances from Indonesian migrant workers abroad are estimated to reach only Rp65 trillion (more than US$6.5 billion).          "The figure is taken based on data from banks and non-bank financial institutions only," he said while breaking his fast with migrant workers at the Sahara Lestari training center for overseas workers in Condet, East Jakarta, on Sunday.***2*** (T.A014/INE/a014) 30-07-2012 17:09:0

INDONESIA NEEDS TO REDUCE NUMBER OF CHILD WORKERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 22 (ANTARA) - The quality of human resources usually determines the future of a nation, and  involves great efforts to develop the nation's younger generation, particularly children.          Indonesia however, has not yet been able to exploit its abundant natural resources for the prosperity of its people. This is partly due to the country's failure to improve the quality of its human resources, and also because of not being able to provide equitable  education to its younger generation.          Millions of Indonesian children are forced to work as child laborers, thus losing their basic rights to education, a childhood, assurances of physical safety and recreation.          A survey two years ago by the Central Statistics Agency and the International Labor Organization revealed that at least four million of the 58.8 million children across the nation were being employed, and of those, at least 1.7 million were child laborers.          Poverty is the main reason why children are forced to take jobs. "Child workers are an important issue for all of us. The number of child workers below age 15 is still high," National Development Planning Minister Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said during a discussion at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) on Wednesday.          The minister said that she would include the child worker issue into the country's poverty eradication program as the number of child workers in Indonesia remains high due to poverty.          In its latest report, Understanding Children's Work (UCW) -- a partnership organization with the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNICEF and the World Bank -- agriculture was reported as the largest sector which employs children aged below 15 years.          According to Angela Kearney, UNICEF representative in Jakarta, about 58 percent of child workers aged between 7 and 14 years are employed in the agricultural sector. This is followed by the service sector, with 27 percent child workers, and manufacturing sector with 7 percent.          Kearney said the figures in the report were consistent with the overall composition of Indonesia's manpower market. So, it could also be revealed that about one-third of children working in the service sector were working as domestic helpers.          She explained that children are also used as domestic helpers, as the public has not yet paid proper attention to this problem, and also because this type of labor is not regulated properly. Another reason is that female children work behind closed-doors, are prone to violence and are away from the public eye. "Therefore, a special policy is needed to regulate it," she added.          The UNICEF representative said that the involvement of children in the agricultural sector was inseparable from their parents' roles. In this case, almost all children are working without wages for their families.          Most parents working in the agricultural sector prefer for their children to help them cultivate the land. Although some of these working children are sent to school, in terms of school attendance they lag behind those who do not work.          "Education is the most important key to the problem of working children in Indonesia," she asserted.          In the meantime, a survey by the Central Statistics Agency and the International Labor Organization at the end of 2009 presented a complete study on child labor in Indonesia.          This study revealed four million of 58.8 million children across the nation were working, and of those at least 1.7 million are considered child laborers.          Uzair Suhaimi, chief of population statistics at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), was quoted by the Jakarta Globe early in 2010 as saying the survey was the first detailed study of its kind on child labor in Indonesia, and was included in the 2009 National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas).          "Compared to figures from countries in Asia Pacific, these figures are relatively small," he said. "The percentage [6.9 percent of 58.8 million] is small, but because we are a massive nation, even that small percentage seems large when we actually study the figures.Generally, though, we are better off than most countries," Uzair noted.          He added that the survey figures were gathered from 248 districts across the country's 33 provinces and the children in employment were between the age of 5 and 17.          "BPS will hand the results to the related ministries and working groups in order for them to work on follow-up policies and actions to tackle this. One of them is the Social Affairs Ministry," Uzair said.          The survey, detailed in the book 'Working Children in Indonesia 2009,' said the definition of child labor includes working children between the ages of 13 and 14 who work more than 15 hours per week, and children between the ages of 15 and 17 years who work more than 40 hours a week.          According to Minister Armida, children aged 15 and above can legally enter the work force.  "The minimum age requirement to enter the Indonesian labor force is 15 and above. But many children aged below 15 are still employed," Armida noted.          "It is permitted if they do light jobs, for instance, assisting their parents. The most important thing is that their education should not be hindered," she said.          However, many children aged below 15 still do jobs which are strictly prohibited under UN conventions and the laws, Armida added.  She said the number of employed children aged 10-14 reached 878,100 and the number of children seeking jobs was 174,500 in 2011.          According to the 2010 population census, there are about 22 million children in the 10-14 age group, Armida stated. "This means that nearly 5 percent of Indonesian children aged 10-14 are either employed or seeking jobs. I think the number is quite high," she said.          "Such a high number of child workers draw special attention, because they still have to attend school," Armida explained.          World Bank Director for Indonesia, Stefan Koeberle, said that polices on youth development could prevent problems that working children have to contend with. Thus, it is important for less fortunate youths to attend skill and training programs in order for them to improve the quality of their lives.          "We are aware that taking the right step is one of the decisive factors for future success. Therefore, preventing children from working is important, because otherwise it would have a poor impact on them in the future," Koeberle said. ***3*** (T.A014/a/INE/a014) 22-06-2012 16:38:5

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.

MOST OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS IN RI OCCUR ON ROADS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 13 (ANTARA) - The number of  deaths  in occupational accidents in Indonesia is high because most of them   occur on  roads filled with motorists who flout the traffic rules.           Accidents that befall workers  heading to  or returning from their workplaces are legally categorized as occupational accidents.  Director General of Manpower Supervision Development of the Ministry of Manpower, Muji Handaya, said most  occupational accidents in Indonesia did not happen at workplaces but on the roads when the workers are heading to or returning from work.          "Sixty percent of occupational accidents were traffic accidents while the remaining 40 percent happened at workplaces," the director general told a two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) workshop on National Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) held in Semarang on Wednesday and Thursday.          The rate of occupational accidents in Indonesia is high compared with those in other Asian countries and Europe.  "In 2010, the number of occupational accidents in Indonesia was recorded at 98,000.          Some 1,200 of the total were fatal, the director general said on Thursday.  This meant that an average of seven workers die due to occupational accidents every day in Indonesia.           If compared with the rates of occupational accidents in Denmark and Germany, the number of occupational accidents in Indonesia was smaller as  in the two other countries occupational accidents totaled 100,000 in 2010, yet the number of workers who died was smaller, namely about 500.          According to Secretary General of Manpower and Transmigration Partnership, Besar Setyoko, in the first semester of 2010, Indonesia recorded a total of 53,000 occupational accidents.          "About 60-70 percent of the accidents were traffic accidents, which took place when workers were heading to or returning home from their workplaces," Besar Setyoko recently.          He said that the remaining ones were accidents in the workplaces. Some died of diseases they suffered as a result of work.         Besar said that the high rate of occupational traffic accidents was due to the fact that the traffic was heavy or the traffic users were not disciplined.         The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration continued to do its best to reduce the number of occupational accidents, he said.       He said that the number of occupational accidents in 2009 was 96,513, hoping that this year it would be reduced to be lower than that, particularly accidents that caused death.          "Therefore, our main target is to reduce accident cases that can cause death," Muji Handaya said.          He said that every company must meet all health and safety work (K3) requirements because meeting these requirements would not only be useful for improving workers prosperity but also become part of the company's need.          "Fulfilling the K3 requirement will support the company's business activities such as improving productivity and the acceptance of the company's products by the market," he said.          Therefore, Indonesia is proposing that standards that should be reached in the implementation of the health and safety work requirement should be raised.          The standards should be set not only Asian countries but also in Europe in an effort to give workers better protection against occupational accidents.          "The awareness and cooperation of all sides to support the implementation of the occupational health and safety is needed to attract investment and increase economic development in Asian and European countries," Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said in written statement the Asem meeting.          The minister made the proposal when he opened the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) workshop on National Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) strategies held in Yogyakarta on Wednesday and Thursday.          Representatives of the International Labor Organization (ILO), ASEAN Secretariat and European Commission also attended the meeting, besides delegates from 24 Asian and European countries.          Muhaimin said that in the globalized era, particularly in the face of international trade, the implementation of occupational health and safety standards was a prerequisite which had big impacts on the investment values, quality and quantity of products, companies' sustainability and the competitive edge of a country.          The minister in its efforts to promote the health and safety work standards would award regional governments who are successful in minimizing occupational accidents. Last May for example, at least 11 governors and 20 mayors/district heads were awarded for their success in promoting occupational safety and health (K3) programs at national and district levels.          "The awards are a form of the government's appreciation for their endeavors in familiarizing the public with occupational safety and health programs at national level. Hopefully, the awards will motivate regional governments, companies and the public to promote the programs in pursuit of an occupational safety and health-minded Indonesia in 2015," the minister said.          The minister also presented 750 awards consisting of zero accident awards to 512 companies and occupational health and safety management system awards to 238 companies from all over the country.          He said the implementation of occupational safety and health programs must become a cross-sectoral activity and therefore, there must be coordinated and integrated steps to ensure that the programs could be carried out well at municipal/district level.          The minister admitted the implementation of the programs was still facing a number of obstacles including low awareness and discipline among employees, employers and the community, and a lack of supervisory officers.          "To improve the awareness and discipline among workers, all managers of companies and heads of labor unions are expected to implement occupational safety and health programs at their respective companies/workplaces under the spirit of togetherness in pursuit of the companies' progress and workers' welfare," he said.***4*** (T.a014/A/HAJM/22:00/H-YH) 13-10-2011 21:59:

TALKS ON RIGHTS OF ASEAN WORKERS PROCEEDING AT SNAIL-PACE

BY Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 12 (ANTARA) - Exporter countries of ASEAN migrant workers were glad when ASEAN delegates agreed at the opening of their meeting in Semarang, Central Java, on Sunday, to discuss migrant workers' protection and promotions of their rights.          Yet, the ASEAN Social Cultural Community (ASCC) at its meeting which lasted from October 9 to 11, 2011 failed again to discuss the issue which had been on deadlock since 2009.          "It has not yet been discussed in the conference this time. It is expected to be discussed in the next ASCC meeting," Chief Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said on Monday referring to the results of the ASCC talks which will be taken to the ASEAN summit for endorsement in Bali next month.          On the first day of the Senior Officials Committee for ASCC (SOCA) delegates were reported to have met in mind on the deliberations of the ASEAN migrant workers' protection and rights promotions.          "This is an extra-ordinary achievement because we have agreed to discuss the issue which had been on deadlock since 2009. There is a positive development where talks on migrant workers' protection and promotions of their rights will be continued," Nina Sardjunani, the Indonesian chief delegate to the ASCC conference said last weekend.          Nina said that the agreement to take up the issue in the conference was reached after a tough debate because both migrant workers exporters and importers had different opinions.          The exporter countries are Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar while the importer ones are Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.          "The debates were tough because we discussed not only documented migrant workers but also those undocumented ones. But then we agreed that there had been a positive development," Nina said.          According to Rizki Safary, a member of the Indonesian delegation to the ASCC meeting, exporter countries wanted equal protection and right promotions between documented and undocumented migrant workers.         What is encouraging is the fact that the meeting on the issue was not attended by only four countries such as in the previous meeting but 10 ASEAN member countries which agreed to discuss the important issue, Rizki said.          However, Chief Welfare Minister Agung Laksono ascertained in the run-up to the end of the conference that the migrant workers' issue was not discussed but put off until the next ASCC meeting.          "It will be discussed in the ASCC conference," the minister said on Monday.          He said that the delegates failed to carry out their agreement to discuss the issue. "The matter will be discussed in the next meeting because delegates did not agree to it now," the minister said.          Agung said that there was no agreement yet between exporter countries and importer states. Indonesia hoped that documented and undocumented workers should not receive different treatment.  However, this proposal was not accepted by importer countries.          With the failure of the talks on migrant workers' protection and rights promotion, it is almost certain that the issue would not be taken to the summit of the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) in Bali next month.          Virtually, the other issue regarding ASEAN migrant workers concerns the free flow of manpower within the region in connection with its plan to establish an integrated economic community in 2015.         Indonesia last May called on the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta to discuss the need for ASEAN countries to open up to migrant workers from within the region.          "Migrant workers in ASEAN or ASEAN migrant workers who are outside the region need protection. ASEAN countries also need to open themselves to migrant workers from other member countries such as Indonesia," head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of TKIs Abroad (BNP2TKI), Moh Jumhur Hidayat said.          The Indonesian manpower official made the statements in response to the fact that so far only three ASEAN members had recruited Indonesian migrant workers (TKIs), namely Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.          "I have often received complaints from employers in a number of ASEAN member countries who need TKIs but they would either not allow it or impose too tight regulations so that they could receive migrant workers from Indonesia," Jumhur Hidayat said.          Data on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers in the Asia Pacific region in 2010 indicated that there were only three countries which had accepted TKIs.        Based on the data, Malaysia had received 116,056 Indonesian migrant workers, Singapore 39,623 and Brunei Darussalam 7,360 workers. There was no TKI recruitment in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. The Philippines is the even competing with Indonesia in the placement of workers abroad.        The number of Indonesian official migrant workers in Malaysia stood at 917,332, in Singapore 106,000 and in Brunei Darussalam 50,000.          He said that the Indonesian government was launching intensive promotions of its formal workers in various countries in Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea and others.           "Japan and countries in the Middle East are main destinations for Indonesian migrant nursery workers. They admitted that the Indonesian nurses have good skills. Demand for Indonesian nurses from these countries continues to increase every year," the BNP2TKIS chief said.***4*** (T.A014/ A/H-NG/12:10  ) 12-10-2011 12:09:5

SOCIAL SECURITY BILL PUT TO NEXT HOUSE SITTING

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 22 (ANTARA)  - The government and the House are forced to extend the deliberation time-line of the Bill on Social Security Management Agency (RUU BPJS) over opposition on the planned merger of four state-owned insurance firms into BPJS based on the draft law.           "We agreed in view of the importance of the bill to discuss it again in the next House sitting period to assure that no more problem is left when it is passed" the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after a meeting with the House leadership on Thursday evening.          The government has previously agreed to speed up the enactment of the bill following insistence from many quarters, particularly trade unions, that the bill which had been drafted since the era of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, has to be endorsed soon.          However, the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government are not yet able to finish deliberating it in the current House sitting due to opposition to a clause in the bill that suggested the  transformation into BPJS of four SOEs that have so far been operating in social insurance services.          The four insurance agency SOEs are Jamsostek (for workers), Taspen (civil servants), Asabri (the military) and Askes (health insurance for civil servants). The opposition reportedly came to surface in recent rallies organized by a handful of the elite circles of the four state-owned firms' workers' unions.          "The government and the DPR agreed that the BPJS bill has to be settled. All the problems hindering its settlement so far have basically happened merely because information has not been received fully. So there is nothing extraordinary. But it needs time discuss it in more detail so that the law later could be implemented well not only by the present but also future governments and would not leave a "time bomb"," House Speaker Marzuki Alie said meanwhile.          President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono and the House leadership met at the State Guest House on Thursday to discuss the  problem of bill.          The head of state said the decision to extend its discussion was made to assure that no problem was left when it was enacted to hinder or cause problems to the present and next government during its implementation. It must be assured that things would go smoothly when implemented such as the merger of a number of state-owned companies operating in insurance and social security business.           "Discussions have already narrowed down to one or two issues such as about the merger of insurance agencies like Jamsostek, Taspen, Asabri and Askes. This must be put in order well while the transition must be realistic so that no serious problem is left. We do not want problems to arise after it is enacted," President Yudhoyono said.           Earlier, the House's BPJS Special Committee and the government in a working meeting agreed to submit a proposal to the DPR plenary that the time-line for deliberations on the bill be extended to the DPR's next meeting period.          "The DPR's  RUU BPJS Special Committee   and the government agreed to propose to the plenary that the time allotted for deliberations on the bill be extended to the House's next sitting," chairman of the House's Special Committee, Ahmad Nizar Shibah, said on Sunday night.           Ahmad was reading out the conclusions of the working meeting between the government and the House special committee.  The other conclusion of the working meeting was that the government had accepted the report of the working committee on RUU BPJS. "The Special Committee and the government agreed to accept the report of the working committee on condition that point 2g of the report should be dropped," Ahmad said.          Clause or point 2g concerns the transformation of four state-owned social security firms, namely PT Taspen, PT Asabri, PT Askes and PT Jamsostek into two BPJSs. But it has sparked polemics and was rejected by a number of interest groups in society.          There are even allegations that foreign interest have interfered in the deal over the bill, but the House circles denied it.          Earlier, two economists, Didiek Rachbini and Faisal Basri, said there were sides who felt their 'game instruments' were to disappear if the four SOEs were transformed into a BPJS.          A researcher concurred the economists' view. "The problem is with the SOEs   which so far have collected hundreds of trillions of funds. It seems that there are parities who do not like if they become BPJS," Nusantara Study Institute (ISN) researcher Michael Umbas said.          As it was reported, the allegations over the presence of foreign involvement in the formulation of the bill came to the surface in line with the appearance of protests initiated by a handful of SOE's workers union elite.          Deputy House Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso denied the allegation. He said the allegation had come to the surface when the four SOEs were expected to be transformed into two social security management agencies (BPJS).  "So, the House as if only talks about how to transform the SOE into a BPJS. This allegation is exaggerating," Priyo said.          "We hope our friends in the four SOEs would not think that we are going to dismantle the firms which so far have made great contribution," he said.          Chairman of the executive board of SOKSI (a Golkar Party's workers organization), Ade Komarudin regretted the fact that deliberations on the bill were not yet finished until now because the people urgently needed the law.       He said the majority of SOKSI members were workers such as laborers, farmers and fishermen.  "Therefore, SOKSI has instructed its cadres to seriously fight for the passing into law of the bill in the interest of the people.          Labor unions have urged the government and the House enact the bill. "We call on the government to endorse the bill this year so that the Social Insurance Management Agency can also be established this year," President of the Confederation of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (KSBSI), Mudhofir said last May.         Workers need the enactment of the RUU BPJS as a legal instrument to implement five insurance programs stipulated in Law No. 40 / 2004. The five social insurance programs contained in the law are national health insurance, old age insurance, occupational accident insurance, life insurance and pensioner insurance.***3*** (T.A014/ A/H-NG  ) 22-07-2011 11:17:2

ASEAN COUNTRIES SHOULD ACCEPT WORKERS FROM WITHIN REGION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 6 (ANTARA) - In line with their plan  to create a more integrated economic community in 2015, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries  need to open themselves up to  migrant workers from within the region, protect them and give them a chance to improve their own welfare.          "Migrant workers in ASEAN or ASEAN migrant workers who are outside the region need protection. ASEAN countries also need to open themselves to migrant workers from other member countries such as Indonesia," head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of TKIs Abroad (BNP2TKI), Moh Jumhur Hidayat said on Friday.          Therefore, Jumhur called on ASEAN which is holding its 18th summit this weekend to discuss migrant workers' problems and open itself for employment of Indonesian workers (TKI) in its members.          The Indonesian manpower official made the statements in response to the fact that so far only three ASEAN members had  recruited Indonesian migrant workers (TKIs), namely Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.          "I have often received complaints from employers in a number of ASEAN member countries who need TKIs but they would either not allow it or impose too tight regulations so that they could receive migrant workers from Indonesia,"Jumhur Hidayat said.            He said that it was important for ASEAN countries to employ more skilled workers from Indonesia. Indonesia had a large number of skilled workers who were ready to be placed in different ASEAN nations. Indonesian formal workers were able to compete in filling employment in the ASEAN manpower market.            "We have a lot of workers who are skilled, semi-skilled or  professionals. These people are ready to be recruited in ASEAN member countries," Jumhur Hidayat said. But the problem Indonesia is facing now is that not all of the ASEAN countries are prepared to open their doors to TKIs, so Indonesian formal workers have no chance to work in those countries.          Data on the placement of Indonesian migrant workers in the Asia Pacific region in 2010 indicated that there were only three countries which had accepted TKIs.         Based on the data, Malaysia had received 116,056 Indonesian migrant workers, Singapore 39,623 and Brunei Darussalam 7,360 workers. There was no TKI recruitment in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. The Philippines is the even competing with  Indonesia in the placement of workers abroad.         The number of Indonesian official migrant workers in Malaysia stood at 917,332, in Singapore 106,000 and in Brunei Darussalam 50,000.         He said that the Indonesian government was launching intensive  promotions of its formal workers in various countries in Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea and others.          "Japan and countries in the Middle East are main destinations for Indonesian migrant nursery workers. They admitted that the Indonesian nurses have good skills. Demand for Indonesian nurses from these countries continue to increase every year," the BNP2TKIS chief said.          Indonesia, which placed almost one million workers in Malaysia, also called for labor protection after seeing many of its workers were physically abused or not properly paid abroad.          It is in this context that ASEAN was urged to include the migrant worker issues in its agenda during the its 18th summit in Jakarta Saturday and Monday (May 7-8, 2011)    "Violence that often happens on migrant workers is increasing and it is not overcome. Now is the right time for Indonesia as chair of ASEAN to make the issue become an important agenda," Wahyu Susilo from Migran Care said meanwhile.           "The issue must not be discussed at a ministerial level only but also at the ASEAN summit," he said. Migrant workers are an important issue requiring an immediate handling. So far, the existing policy is normative and discussions at ASEAN levels have never progressed, according to Wahyu.          Therefore, the ASEAN summit could not be declared successful if it produced no policy or commitment to migrant workers' protection. "At least there is commitment to ratifying the US convention on migrant workers," he said.          However, according to Indonesian Minister for Manpower Affairs Muhaimin Iskandar, as a labor-sending and receiving region, ASEAN had committed itself to protecting migrant workers.           ASEAN in its summit, he said, is expected to issue a recommendation on protection of migrant workers.  The recommendation would deal among others with occupational security and protection, and social insurance.          He said relevant ministries of each ASEAN member state was in the process of finalizing the draft of the recommendation.   He said the ASEAN summit would issue a recommendation consisting of three points namely security for workers during migration, security and protection during working and social security or insurance for  workers.         Muhaimin said that  his ministry was also preparing a bill on protection of domestic helpers and would soon bring it to a meeting of relevant ministries for discussion. Once the bill was passed into law, it would provide basic protection to domestic helpers, including guarantee of no violence and rights to fair employment and protection, he said.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/22:55/a014) 06-05-2011 22:56:0

RI THINKING TO STOP EXPORT BLUE COLAR WORKERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 14 (ANTARA) - Tension with Malaysia is yet to fully abate over the sensitive Ambalat issue, then came reports on tortured Indonesian domestic helper Siti Hajar (33), which happened amid a fuss about the Manohara Odelia Pinot saga.         Not only that, the mystery in the death of Nurul Wijayanti (27), another Indonesian domestic helper, added fuel to suspicions to employers of Indonesian maids in Malaysia.         Nurul went to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, June 11, 2009, to arrange a travel document. She intended to return home from Malaysia, a country which is a 'heaven' but could also be a 'hell' to Indonesian domestic helpers.         Instead of having a chance to return home, poor Nurul was found dead hanging in the house of her employer's mother a day later.         Nurul Wijayanti was believed to have committed suicide.         "Malaysian police are investigating Nurul's death, although there is no suspicious injuries on her body, except traces of the rope she used to hang herself," said Widyarka Ryananta, minister counselor of the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.         This incident added to the sad reports on the abuse of Siti Hajar by her employer. Siti Hajar (33), a migrant worker from Limbangan, Garut, West Java, has been roughly treated while working for an ethnic Chinese family in Lanai Kiara Condominium in Kuala Lumpur.         She was reported to have been hit with a piece of wood and scolded with hot water. Unable to bear further the cruel treatment by her employer, she, who had worked there since July 2, 2006, finally fled on Monday (June 8).         Harsh response came from Indonesian officials, beginning from the House of Representatives (DPR), manpower recruitment officials, diplomats until the president. The case is even raised in the on-going presidential campaigns.         President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would establish an early detection system for the protection of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) abroad. The president discussed the idea with Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia one-time chief of police Da'i Bachtiar, and the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) chief Jumhur Hidayat.         House Speaker Agung Laksono said the government must adopt a firm attitude with regard to violence often suffered by Indonesian workers (TKI) or female workers (TKW) abroad. "I think the government must take a firmer stand particularly with regard to rough treatment which exceeds the limit of humanity, including whipping and other forms of torture," Laksono said.         Referring to the long list of violence suffered by Indonesian domestic helpers in Malaysia such as that suffered by Nirmala Bonat and others, Laksono said that the government should not tolerate the Malaysian government too far. Its attitude did not reflect solidarity as a country of the same stock in handling such cases. It even tarnished the friendly relations.         "This case should be taken up at bilateral talks between the two countries," the House Speaker said.         Jumhur Hidayat, chief of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), had even suggested the government to stop the dispatch of Indonesian domestic helpers to Malaysia for one month pending the revision of the Indonesia-Malaysia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Indonesian migrant workers signed in early 2009.         In response to the proposal, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Jumhur Hidayat's proposal was a good idea. Therefore, Faizasyah said that the Indonesian government will study the impact if it stopped the sending of migrant workers to Malaysia.         "We will evaluate its possible impact on the informal sector," Faizasyah said adding that it would be better if the plan to stop the dispatch of workers was discussed with the workers who has returned from Malaysia because they could provide us with additional and valuable inputs.         The foreign ministry spokesman said that the agreement signed by the Indonesian government and its Malaysian counterpart in 2006 did not cover matters on a discontinuation of worker dispatches. It regulates the framework of placing Indonesian workers in the formal and informal sectors.         So, if there is a plan to stop sending workers, the decision to be made should involve the relevant agencies such as the manpower service. The foreign ministry already has proposals, he said, which included skill of would-be workers or those who have special skills.         After all, the supervision on workers in the informal sector is difficult to carry out. It is quite difficult to monitor a domestic violence against a domestic helper.         During a campaign in Jambi on Sunday, the JK-WIN presidential ticket also promised to give protection of Indonesian workers abroad and to stop sending domestic helpers or laborers for many years to come.         "We have prepared a short and long term program for the protection of Indonesian workers abroad," Wiranto said who is a running mate of Jusuf Kalla presidential candidate (JK-WIN) said.         He said that the shortage of job opportunities in the country had caused many Indonesians to seek a job overseas with all its consequences, including maltreatment.         "Therefore, in the short and medium term, we, if elected in the upcoming presidential polls, will reactivate Indonesian workers' representatives abroad," he said.         In the long run, he said, Indonesia is expected to stop sending blue-collar workers or domestic helpers, but only white-collar professionals.         "Thus, we hope that we would no longer be insulted and belittled as a nation. We can become a respectable nation in the world through our professional workers abroad," he said.***3*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/B003). (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 14-06-2009 23:27:46