Indonesia To Send Workers To Frms, Not Individuals

Jeddah, 12 Rabiul Akhir 1437/22 January 2016 (MINA) – The Indonesian government plans to change its labor laws so that only firms abroad can hire its workers, not individuals.

This is according to Lalu Mohammad Iqbal, director of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s department for the protection of citizens abroad, who told Aleqtesadiah newspaper recently that his government has stopped hiring by individuals, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, citing the news published by Arab News on Wednesday.

Iqbal told the newspaper that Indonesia’s labor laws are outdated. The new laws would be introduced later this year for 21 countries in the Middle East. It is also being considered currently for the Asia-Pacific region.

There would be a process to evaluate and choose the best recruitment agencies and companies. There would also be a system to train workers before they head overseas, he said.

“We have already made it clear that we have stopped sending housemaids to individual employers in the Middle East, including the Kingdom. However, we would continue to send workers to companies in several sectors including construction, transport, oil and gas.”

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced in May last year that Jakarta would stop sending new domestic workers to 21 nations.

The countries include Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Jordan.  (T/R07/R03 )

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)