Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has issued a new work contract for Indonesian migrant workers and their employers, a labor recruitment specialist said.

The embassy`s new work contract was effective since February 27, 2011, Head of the Association of Indonesian worker recruitment agencies (Himsataki), Yunus M.Yamani, said.

Speaking to newsmen here Wednesday, Yunus M Yamani said he supported the government`s effort because it would provide the Indonesian migrant workers with better protection.

He said he had received the embassy`s notification. The issuance of that new working contract was related to the visit of Sanarcom`s representative, Saad Al Badah, to foreign ministry here recently.

"That visit has proven that the Saudis labour recruitment services care for giving better protections to Indonesian migrant workers in the country," he said.

Yunus said it was good if that new working contract was approved by the Indonesian embassy and Sanarcom as the association of labour recruitment agencies in Saudi Arabia.

Both parties did know the real condition of Indonesian labourers in Saudi Arabia, he said.

"We can understand if Sanarcom has now been aware of the importance of such that working contract for the benefits of all parties involving in placement of Indonesian workers," he said.

That working contract conveyed the employers` duties, such as mapoing their houses` locations and meeting the workers` right to get information and communicate with the workers` family members.

Instead, if the workers had problems, they could not be repatriated before their rights were fulfilled and their employers gave them works that were not against their faiths` teachings.

The employers and their family members could not torture the workers, he said adding that the monthly wages of Indonesian workers were at least 1,000 real, he said.

The protection of Indonesian migrant workers has become a crucial and sensitive issue over the past years.

In November 2010, the Indonesian people and government were shocked by the torture of Sumiati binti Salan Mustafa by her Saudi Arabian employer.

Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia received lots of Indonesian migrant workers, besides Malaysia and South Korea.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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