The topic was one of many proposed by the Indonesian parliament, House of Representatives member Tantowi Yahya told reporters after attending a dinner with South Sumatra Governor H Alex Noerdin in Palembang on Friday night.
Alex said that in the future Indonesia would only send migrant workers to Islamic countries that already had rules or laws governing the safety and welfare of migrant workers.
So Indonesia would stop sending workers to countries that do not have such regulations, said Alex.
Because migrant workers were not slaves who could be treated arbitrarily, there must be rules covering the rights and obligations, including working and off hours, he said.
Therefore, the labor issue had become a common concern at the Islamic countries parliaments meeting, he said.
Indonesia is not against sending workers abroad, but it should be according to the rules so that human resources are honored.
So this issue will be discussed in a meeting that is expected to send workers who work abroad later became more comfortable, he said.
Indonesia is a country that often sends migrant workers abroad, occasionally the placement is done without clear legal umbrella, he said .
(Uu.A050/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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