More Employers Agree to Adopt Standard Minimum Wage for Indonesians

Belait, Brunei Daussaalam, 09 Muharram 1438/10 October 2016 (MINA) – More employers have met Indonesia’s demand for a standard minimum wage for their workers in Brunei, bt.com quoted an official from the Indonesian Embassy as saying on Sunday.

Ahmad Syahri, Technical Staff for Labour Affairs, said this was based on feedback the embassy had received, especially since its officials were also actively involved in reaching out to companies and private employers to further explain why Indonesia wants a minimum wage established.

Besides ensuring the welfare of Indonesians in Brunei, he said the move was also aimed at giving employers the opportunity to implement a salary increment, which may depend on the trust built between the employee and employer.

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“With the salary set as such, the workers may be motivated to give their best in their jobs, and from then on, they may build a (rapporteur) with their employers and advance further in their careers,” he said.

He said Brunei had never established a minimum wage for its foreign workers, which may also be another good platform for strengthening bilateral ties.

The minimum wage demanded by the Indonesian government for Indonesian workers in Brunei was $350 per month for those who are privately employed and $468 per month for those employed with companies.

Since the move to standardise the minimum wage for Indonesian workers in Brunei was introduced in April last year by the Indonesian government, Ahmad Syahri said a lot of employers have agreed to make revisions to their salary rates.

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“All that’s left now is to make the rates an official standard set for Indonesian workers by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bruneian labour authorities.

“We’re hoping this can be reached at the Brunei-Indonesia Joint Working Group on Labour Cooperation’s third meeting, which will be supposedly held sometime this year,” he said, adding that both sides would need to make ample preparations before proceeding with the meeting. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)