Arab news Fitting response to tough Indonesia hiring rules sought By ARAB NEWS
Published: Apr 29, 2011 01:04 Updated: Apr 29, 2011 01:04 RIYADH: Several foreign manpower recruitment offices in the Kingdom have urged the authorities to protect their interests and impose tighter regulations on the recruitment of Indonesian workers. They were responding to the Jakarta government's decision to introduce rules to protect Indonesian workers in the Kingdom. The recruitment companies demanded the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta to draft a new bilateral agreement with new conditions for hiring domestic staff. The new agreement would consist of certain conditions aimed at safeguarding the rights of Saudi recruitment offices against exploitation, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported. It would include a provision compelling Indonesian manpower recruitment agents to bear the responsibility for offenses committed by maids they have recruited. Yahya Maqbool, head of the committee of foreign manpower recruitment offices at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the offices were awaiting the signing of a bilateral agreement in the wake of an exorbitant increase in recruitment fees for Indonesian labor. "There is a growing demand from Saudi families to allow them to recruit housemaids from Nepal and Ethiopia. The recruitment charges from these countries range from SR5,500 to SR6,000, with a monthly salary of SR700. The recruitment procedures from these countries would take less than two months," he pointed out. The committee earlier rejected the terms and conditions demanded by Jakarta for the recruitment of housemaids and drivers from Indonesia. This was in the wake of an announcement from the Kingdom's Indonesian Ambassador Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, who said his government had drawn up a new work contract that must be authenticated at Indonesian missions after it has been signed by the sponsor and recruitment office in the presence of an Indonesian diplomat. Eid Al-Saad, an investor in the field, said the Indonesian Embassy is deliberately delaying the processing of visas for domestic staff in anticipation of implementing the new conditions. "This also resulted in soaring recruitment charges from SR9,000 to SR12,000, and is expected to hit SR15,000 in the near future," he said. Al-Saad, who is now in Jakarta, described the new conditions set by Jakarta as unwise and illogical. The conditions include making available a mobile phone to the housemaid, a signed document from the sponsor to endorse the right of the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh to visit the housemaid if she needs help, submission of a letter by the sponsor containing a drawing of his house, producing a certificate of good conduct from the police, a letter indicating the number of family members with their photographs, a photocopy of the sponsor's identity card in addition to details of the sponsor's profession and monthly salary. Al-Saad said the Saudi recruitment offices have lodged their protest with the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta over the new conditions. "This is akin to holding the local employment market to ransom," he said. The Saudi embassy says it is striving hard to protect the interests of Saudi families against the alleged exploitation of the agents. "Consul Abdul Aziz Al-Riqabi has demanded the Indonesian authorities to compel their recruitment offices to furnish a bank guarantee amounting to SR100,000 in order to avoid violation of contract conditions by domestic workers," he said. This will also prevent them from running away, refusing to do their job or engaging in criminal activities, he added. © 2010 Arab News ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
