Drawing circles around maids in distress
Tarani PalaniPublished: Jul 7, 2009 6:47 PM | Updated: Jul 7, 2009 6:55 PM
The Malaysian and Indonesian governments have been accused of drawing circles in their attempt to resolve the longstanding crisis concerning maids from the republic.
The Malaysian and Indonesian governments have been accused of drawing circles in their attempt to resolve the longstanding crisis concerning maids from the republic.
An Indonesian migrant workers group claimed that the two nations have failed to address the root issues and end up singing the same old tune.
According to Migrant Care's Malaysian representative Alex Ong, yesterday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur was no different.
He was responding to Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Erman Suparno who said that proposals such as introducing minimum wage and a mandatory day off would be further discussed.
Ministries from both countries are set to meet on July 15.
However, Ong pointed out that a minimum wage of RM500 has already been previously determined.
In highlighting the discrepancies between policies and the reality of the situation, he said it is not a question of wages, but rather fees paid to the agents that exhaust a domestic helper's salary.
He said domestic helpers, who earn between RM400 and RM500 a month, have to fork out a whopping RM3,500 to RM 8,000 for the agents.
"That is at most 16 months worth of salary gone to the agents," he said, adding that the domestic helpers are left with nothing.
In view of this, Ong made several proposals which could rectify the situation.
This included limiting the deduction of the domestic helpers’ salaries with regards to paying the agents’ service charge, thus allowing them to retain at least 25 percent of their income.
Agents must shoulder more responsibilities
As for the agents, Ong said the agents from both sides of the border should be made to shoulder more responsibilities.
"They receive handsome fees (from both the employers and the employees) but they are attributed so little responsibility," he added.
He said that there may be a mismatch between services which are promised and received due to the failure of the agents to match domestic helpers and employees accordingly.
This in turn increases the cases of abuse, he added.
In most cases of abuse, Ong pointed out that the agents escape unscathed with full pockets.
The issue of Indonesian domestic helpers had flared up in recent weeks after a string of abuse cases appeared in the media.
This led the Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Ministry to temporarily suspend sending Indonesian maids to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Ong said both governments should look into placing a ceiling fee for agents.
"During the recruitment process, high cost is incurred because it involves village heads to district heads... so employers end up paying a big sum, close to RM8,000 only to attain a biodata," he added.
If the services of agents are eliminated, Ong said the domestic helpers could also save a lot in terms of paying them for securing their passports, air tickets and so forth.
He stressed that placing a ceiling price would ensure that helpers are not treated as commodities.
An Indonesian migrant workers group claimed that the two nations have failed to address the root issues and end up singing the same old tune.
According to Migrant Care's Malaysian representative Alex Ong, yesterday's meeting in Kuala Lumpur was no different.He was responding to Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Erman Suparno who said that proposals such as introducing minimum wage and a mandatory day off would be further discussed.
Ministries from both countries are set to meet on July 15.
However, Ong pointed out that a minimum wage of RM500 has already been previously determined.
In highlighting the discrepancies between policies and the reality of the situation, he said it is not a question of wages, but rather fees paid to the agents that exhaust a domestic helper's salary.
He said domestic helpers, who earn between RM400 and RM500 a month, have to fork out a whopping RM3,500 to RM 8,000 for the agents.
"That is at most 16 months worth of salary gone to the agents," he said, adding that the domestic helpers are left with nothing.
In view of this, Ong made several proposals which could rectify the situation.
This included limiting the deduction of the domestic helpers’ salaries with regards to paying the agents’ service charge, thus allowing them to retain at least 25 percent of their income.
Agents must shoulder more responsibilities
As for the agents, Ong said the agents from both sides of the border should be made to shoulder more responsibilities.
"They receive handsome fees (from both the employers and the employees) but they are attributed so little responsibility," he added.
He said that there may be a mismatch between services which are promised and received due to the failure of the agents to match domestic helpers and employees accordingly. This in turn increases the cases of abuse, he added.
In most cases of abuse, Ong pointed out that the agents escape unscathed with full pockets.
The issue of Indonesian domestic helpers had flared up in recent weeks after a string of abuse cases appeared in the media.
This led the Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Ministry to temporarily suspend sending Indonesian maids to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Ong said both governments should look into placing a ceiling fee for agents.
"During the recruitment process, high cost is incurred because it involves village heads to district heads... so employers end up paying a big sum, close to RM8,000 only to attain a biodata," he added.
If the services of agents are eliminated, Ong said the domestic helpers could also save a lot in terms of paying them for securing their passports, air tickets and so forth.
He stressed that placing a ceiling price would ensure that helpers are not treated as commodities.
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