P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding on Monday informed that the salary deposits will be included in the list of requirements in the memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia. The MoU follows the plan to revoke the moratorium on PMI placements in Saudi Arabia.
"Employers must provide a salary deposit along with the provision of a work dispute resolution committee," he informed.
According to Karding, the moratorium, which was in place since 2015, stopped PMI placements to Saudi Arabia due to lack of protection.
However, the high number of migrant workers leaving illegally for Saudi Arabia—25 thousand people per year—along with a request from the Saudi Arabian government led to Indonesia deciding to revoke the moratorium, if several requirements are met.
"We will integrate our data in this collaboration. This effort will reduce and limit illegal migrant workers," the minister informed.
He said that PMI placements in Saudi Arabia will involve four parties—the migrant workers, the Indonesian placement company, the Saudi Arabia migrant worker agency, and the employer.
Besides the salary deposit requirement, Indonesian migrant workers will need to be provided a minimum salary of Rp6.5 billion (US$384) and employment protection in the form of job insurance, life insurance, and health insurance, the minister added.
This will need to be followed by the division of time into working hours, overtime hours, and rest hours, as well as the provision of a decent place to live.
Employers in Saudi Arabia will need to be registered with a Saudi Arabian state-owned employment company to be eligible to provide work.
"For example, employers with bad track records such as committing violence or economically incapable, will not be allowed to offer jobs for PMIs," Karding explained.
After inking the memorandum of understanding, the Indonesian government plans to send 600 thousand workers to Saudi Arabia, consisting of 400 thousand domestic workers for households and 200 thousand formal workers.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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