[Kabar-indonesia] Indonesian workers to remit US$20 billion over five years: minister

[Joyo at aol.com]

also: Indonesia says maids deal with Malaysia to be finished this month

Indonesian workers to remit 20 billion dollars over five years: minister

KUALA LUMPUR, August 13 (AFP) -- Indonesians working overseas are
expected to send home 20 billion dollars over the next five years as
their importance to Indonesia's economy grows, the country's labour
minister said.

Manpower Minister Erman Suparno said there were 2.7 million
Indonesians currently working overseas and that figure was expected to
rise to 3.0 million this year.

"They give remittances of about 2.4 billion dollars per year," he said
of the current workforce.

"We expect within five years the cumulative remittance will be around
20 billion dollars," Suparno told AFP in an interview during a recent
visit here.

"Of course this will have a good economic impact on my country," he added.

The export of workers to other countries has long been an important
part of Southeast and South Asian economies.

In the Philippines alone, some eight million expatriates remitted a
record 10.7 billion dollars to their families in 2005.

Suparno said the increase in Indonesian nationals working abroad would
ease unemployment in the country and also see Indonesians eventually
returning with greater expertise.

"We have targeted in the future that there will be an increase of 1.0
million workers to other countries per year," Suparno said.

"It is very important to us as well, because it would reduce
unemployment in our country."

He said the government planned to offer support to returning workers
to help them set up small businesses.

"Once they return they will have sufficient knowledge and experience
which could be used for small-scale entrepreneur businesses," he said.

"The workers that come back after they finish their contract, the
government will give a small amount of capital to start businesses."

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Indonesia says maids deal with Malaysia to be finished this month

KUALA LUMPUR, August 13 (AFP) -- An agreement on the treatment of
Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia is on track to be completed by
the end of this month, Indonesia's Manpower Minister Erman Suparno
said.

He said the deal will substantially increase the salaries of
Indonesian maids who make up 95 percent of the 350,000 foreign
domestic workers in Malaysia, and also specify a range of rights
including regular time off.

After years of negotiations, the two countries in May signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the treatment of Indonesian
domestic workers.

Suparno said the details of the agreement and negotiations were
expected to be finalised by the end of August.

"It should be finished by the end of this month," he told AFP during a
recent visit here.

Indonesia has long argued for a minimum wage and Suparno said he
expected an agreement from Malaysia on a minimum 500 ringgit (136
dollar) monthly salary, as well as time off each week.

Most Indonesian maids here currently earn 300 to 400 ringgit a month
-- well below the pay offered in Hong Kong and Singapore. Many are
forced to work a seven-day week.

Suparno said the agreement will also include civil and political
rights, such as access to communications to keep in touch with
families, and the right to vote in any Indonesian elections.

Domestic workers, most of whom are Muslims, will also have the right
to freely practise their religion.

"Sometimes we send our domestic workers with non-Muslim families, and
sometimes in those families the right of practising the religion is
not fully respected."

Agreements on domestic workers with "almost the same" conditions have
been signed with Kuwait, Jordan, South Korea, Hong Kong and the
Philippines, he said, while several more are being negotiated.

Indonesia is already in talks with Brunei, Qatar, Syria, the United
Arab Emirates, Japan and Canada and is pursuing a agreement with
Singapore, Suparno said.

"I hope the MOUs will be finished by the end of the year, especially
with Japan, Qatar and Syria," he said. "The principles will be the
same conditions."

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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