An agreement to enshrine the rights of Indonesian maids working in Malaysia, which has been under negotiation for years, will be signed in June, according to reports today.

Malaysia's deputy premier Najib Tun Razak told the New Straits Times that the agreement would address issues like levies imposed on the sector, which are typically passed onto the maid who then loses several months' salary.

"Certain things need to be looked into and finalised for the benefit of the maids," Najib told the daily.

"We want to give them a fairer deal where they will enjoy more rights and protection and feel more at home while working in Malaysia."

Najib announced the June signing date after a meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla yesterday.

No agreement yet

The two countries have been trying since 2002 to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Indonesian domestic workers but several rounds of negotiations had failed to yield an agreement.

One of the stumbling blocks has been Indonesia's bid to secure a minimum monthly wage of RM500 (US$133), a demand which it has signalled could be dropped.

Nearly 300,000 Indonesian maids work in Malaysia, receiving an average salary of about US$100 a month, far less than their counterparts from the Philippines.

Indonesia is the main supplier of foreign labour to Malaysia, which has about 2.6 million foreign workers among its 10.5 million-strong workforce, and the treatment of workers has often been an irritant to relations.