Will Indonesia’s domestic workers find prosperity under Minister Hanif Dhakiri? Photo: Twitter/@hanifdhakiri
Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri has shown that he would climb a fence to help Indonesian domestic workers going abroad. But what about the well being of pembantus in Indonesia?? Well, it seems he’s been working on that too.
The Ministry of Manpower recently issued a Ministerial Regulation on the protection of domestic workers. The regulation, which came into effect on January 16, entitles domestic workers to a higher salary and holiday leave, among other benefits.
Before the regulation came into effect, there was nothing to determine the basic rights of domestic workers, even when it came to their salaries.
“An appropriate salary is now mandatory. For a domestic worker in Jakarta the minimum is Rp 1,2 million per month. For a babysitter [in Jakarta], the minimum salary is Rp 2 million per month. The market is different according to each region,” said Reyna Usman, Director General for Labor Development and Accomodation at the Ministry of Manpower, as quoted by Detik yesterday.
Just as crucially, domestic worker brokers are now prohibited from charging any money from domestic workers. Brokers are expected to charge administration fees to the employers of the domestic workers once a working agreement is in place.
“The agent cannot charge domestic workers any kind of fee. Domestic workers are entitled to appropriate accommodation facilities, social security, and humane treatment,” said Manpower Minister Hanif.
Hanif added that there must be an agreement for holiday leave in the contract between the employer and the domestic worker.
“The rights of domestic worker must be realized. Rights such as holiday leave, food and sleep must be appropriate,” he said.
The Ministry of Manpower’s new regulations will hopefully improve the working conditions of domestic workers in Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia. We hope similar measures will continue to be taken to ensure the well being of Indonesian workers abroad.
