[Indonesia] Labour News and Issues

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Sepuluh Pengunjuk Rasa Tuntut THR di PHK

Bojonegoro (ANTARA News) - Lima buruh PT Jasa Konstruksi Hartono (JKH) dan lima buruh PT Nashiri Jaya Abadi (NJA), di Desa Karangpacar, Kecamatan Kota Bojonegoro, Jawa Timur yang mengelar aksi mogok kerja menuntut Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR), Rabu (10/9), di PHK perusahaan.

"Mereka sekarang kami ajak mengadu ke Disnakertrans dan terpaksa kembali, karena diminta membuat pengaduan secara tertulis," kata juru bicara sepuluh buruh yang di PHK itu, Nurhasyim di kantor Depnaker, Rabu.

Lima buruh PT JKH Luluk, Sugeng, Adin, Choirul, Ningsih dan PT NJA, Arief, Endra, Fitri, Yulianto dan Agus. Kedua perusahaan yang berinduk di PT Himalaya Grafoorin Internasional di Sidoarjo tersebut, bergerak dibidang mebel.

Menurut Nurhasyim, diperkirakan jumlah buruh yang di PHK akan bertambah, karena setelah aksi mogok kerja menuntut THR dan tuntutan normatif lainnya yang diikuti dua ratusan buruh itu, buruh yang masuk "shift" II, ada sebagian yang juga tidak masuk.

Mereka tidak masuk, karena bentuk solidaritas dengan para buruh yang sudah mengelar aksi mogok kerja pada pagi harinya.

Menurut para buruh itu, dari lima buruh PT NJA ketika pagi tadi masuk kerja, dalam daftar absen namanya sudah tidak masuk. Sedangkan lima buruh dari PT JKH dipanggil Kabag Personalia PT JKH, Bambang Mulyono dan mendapatkan penjelasan sudah di PHK.

"Kami mendapatkan penjelasan pendek dari Bagian Personalia, karena tidak masuk dua jam, kemudian di PHK," kata salah seorang buruh itu.

Ditemui terpisah, Kasubdin Persyaratan Kerja (Syaker) Disnakertrans Bojonegoro, Ruslantoyo menyatakan, para buruh yang mengadu tersebut diminta membuat pengaduan secara tertulis, agar dirinya bisa membuat surat panggilan kepada pihak terkait, termasuk perusahaan.

"Setelah aksi mogok kerja kemarin, saya kira sudah tidak ada masalah, karena 14 item tuntutan buruh disetujui, termasuk tuntutan mendapatkan THR," katanya.

Tuntutan tersebut, selain mendapatkan THR, diantaranya juga dimasukkan Jamsostek dan cuti hamil.

Ruslantoyo mengaku, tidak tahu pasti penyebab kesepuluh buruh tersebut di PHK. Hanya informasi yang diperoleh, setelah mengelar aksi rasa mogok kerja dan tuntutannya dikabulkan perusahaan ada sejumlah buruh yang tidak langsung bekerja lagi.

"Untuk jelasnya, ya kami akan panggil satu persatu untuk dikonfirmasi," katanya.(*)

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Guru PNS Desak Pencairan Kenaikan Tunjangan Fungsional

Bandarlampung (ANTARA News) - Para guru berstatus Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) di Pemda Kabupaten Lampung Selatan (Lamsel), Provinsi Lampung, mendesak Pemda setempat melalui Dinas Pendidikan dan Badan Pengelolaan Keuangan Daerah (BPKD) di sana, dapat segera merealisasikan pembayaran kenaikan tunjangan fungsional para pendidik itu yang hingga kini belum direalisasikan.

Padahal menurut sejumlah guru di beberapa sekolah negeri di Lamsel, Senin, kenaikan tunjangan fungsional itu di kabupaten dan kota lain di Provinsi Lampung telah dibayarkan.

Mereka justru mempertanyakan sikap dan kebijakan Pemda Lamsel yang dinilai diskriminatif dan cenderung kurang peduli dengan nasib kesejahteraan para pendidik itu.

"Bagi kami pencairan dana tunjangan fungsional yang dibayarkan sekaligus untuk beberapa bulan setahun ini, sangat membantu dan kami tunggu-tunggu realisasinya," ujar salah satu pendidik di kabupaten itu pula.

Para pendidik lain, menyoal ketidakjelasan alasan Pemda Kabupaten Lamsel, Dinas Pendidikan, dan BPKD setempat yang dituding menghambat pemenuhan hak kesejahteraan para guru itu.

Umumnya para pendidik itu mempertanyakan, kapan lagi tunjangan fungsional itu akan dibayarkan kalau tidak sekarang.

Para pendidik itu berharap pemda dan dinas teknis terkait di daerahnya itu, menjadi cepat tanggap dan segera merealisasikan kewajiban pembayaran kenaikan tunjangan fungsional bagi mereka.

Sebelumnya desakan untuk membayarkan hak para guru itu telah disuarakan pula oleh DPRD Lamsel, antara lain atas desakan organisasi profesi guru di sana (PGRI).

Dalam pengesahan RAPBD Perubahan Kabupaten Lamsel, desakan pencairan tunjangan fungsional guru itu kembali disuarakan Dewan kepada Pemdakab melalui Bupati Lamsel, Wendy Melfa.

Bupati Wendy Melfa menanggapi desakan itu, menyatakan pihaknya siap menjalankan keputusan Dewan dengan sebaik-sebaiknya dan akan mengupayakan harapan tersebut setidaknya pada tahun 2008 ini.

Depdiknas Pusat telah menetapkan kenaikan tunjangan fungsional guru (PNS) rata-rata Rp100.000 per bulan yang diharapkan dapat direalisasikan pada tahun 2008.

Ke depan, Depdiknas mencanangkan jumlah minimal tunjangan fungsional guru terendah Rp500.000 per bulan, dan juga memberikan hak itu kepada para guru swasta dengan nilai maksimal Rp500.000 per bulan.

Selain mendapatkan kenaikan itu, para pendidik yang telah lolos program sertifikasi guru, juga berkesempatan mendapatkan tambahan pendapatan sebesar satu kali gaji per bulan.

Namun untuk mendapatkan tambahan kesejahteraan itu, para guru mesti melalui proses seleksi dengan prosedur yang oleh sebagian guru dinilai menyulitkan mereka serta membebani biaya tambahan.

Padahal tujuan pemerintah memberikan berbagai tunjangan hak para guru adalah untuk meningkatkan profesionalisme dan kesejahteraan mereka, agar benar-benar tenang dan nyaman dalam bekerja mendidik para siswanya di sekolah masing-masing.

Sejumlah guru juga minta agar aparat berwenang bisa menindak oknum yang memotong hak tunjangan para guru itu dengan dalih macam-macam, termasuk oknum yang meminta imbalan jasa sejumlah uang karena merasa telah mengurus sertifikasi para guru itu.(*)

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Akibat Krisis Global, 2.000 Karyawan Industri Tekstil Di-PHK

Semarang (ANTARA News) - Kalangan industri tekstil di Jawa Tengah terpaksa melakukan pemutusan hubungan kerja (PHK) 2.000 karyawannya akibat krisis global yang mulai dirasakan.

"Dampak krisis global memang terasa berat bagi kalangan industri," kata Ketua Asosiasi Pengusaha Indonesia (Apindo) Jateng, Djoko Wahyudi, di Semarang, Kamis.

Menurut dia, kini ada satu pabrik garmen cukup besar di Kabupaten Semarang yang mengurangi jumlah karyawannya hingga 2.000 lebih akibat pasar ekspor menurun.

"Akibat pasar ekspor menurun, karyawan yang sebelumnya berjumlah 10.000 orang terpaksa dikurangi 2.000 orang," kata Djoko yang enggan menyebutkan nama pabrik yang telah mem-PHK karyawan.

Ia menjelaskan, bisnis yang masih aman di Jateng kini hanya yang pemasarannya di tingkat domestik seperti jamu dan rokok karena dampak krisis global belum menyentuh sektor riil.

Menghadapi situasi seperti ini, Apindo Jateng mengharapkan pemerintah segera merangsang pasar dalam negeri, memberi perlindungan, dan mengendalikan moneter.

"Kalau pemerintah tidak cepat bertindak, maka semuanya semakin berat. Pengusaha bisa terus melakukan pengurangan jumlah karyawan," katanya.

Djoko menambahkan, Kamis (16/10) petang Apindo membahas kenaikan upah minimum kabupaten/kota (UMK) 2009. "Kita mengharapkan kenaikan UMK disesuaikan dengan inflasi," katanya.(*)

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President: don`t hurriedly lay off your employees amidst global crisis

Palembang (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked the business world not to hurriedly lay off their workers amidst the current global financial crisis.

In his speech on the occasion of inaugurating infrastructure projects in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra, on Sunday, Yudhoyono said the government frequently had a series of meeting with businessmen and sat together to find out the best solution to overcome the impact of global financial crisis.

"I have frequently asked not to sack their employees immediately. If any problem, let's find the solution," the president said.

He further added that the government was ready to coordinate various incentives like fiscal and the scrapping of provisional tax or tax lowering to be granted to businessmen as long as they did not lay off their employees.

The manpower and transmigration ministry, industry ministry and trade ministry, the president said, were ready to coordinate and to find the best solution for business world in copyng with the impact of global financial crisis.

"The most important to note is that the businessmen should not hurriedly lay off their employees. Dismissal is the last policy if there is no other way around or if we have made a better coordination, but no solution is found," Yudhoyono said.

To avoid a rise in umemployment rate in 2009 following the impact of global financial crisis, the president disclosed the government's step was channeling a big amount of fund for infrastructure development.

In the 2009 state budget, the Public Work Ministry received a ration of about Rp32 trillion for infrastruction, Rp12 trillion for the Transportation Ministry and another Rp12 trillion for specially fund allocation channeled by the central government to the regions.

"It has really reached a level of Rp 50 trillion. The history has proven that infrastructure development absorps many labors," he said.

Beside increasing the number of infranstructure projects, the government also planned to recruit many civil servants including policemen and militarimen in 2009 to lower unemployment rate.

The government, according to the president, also increased the allocation of fund for public business credit by Rp12 trillion in 2009 and Rp 3 billion for PNPM Mandiri program in each sub-district.

With the existance of various program, it is expected that the government hoped it could create more job opportunities for three million people. (*)

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S Korea to safeguard interests of 300 laid-off Indonesian workers

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - South Korea and Indonesia have agreed to adopt a program to safeguard the interests of about 300 Indonesian workers (TKIs) laid off in South Korea due to the impact of the global financial crisis.

The agreement was reached by the Indonesian government and the Hurman Resources Development of Korea (HRDK), head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesia Workers (BNP2TKI), Jumhur Hidayat said here on Monday.

"The essence of the agreement is that the South Korean government will give priority to Indonesian workers who have been laid off so that they can be reemployed in other sectors in that country," Hidayat said.

He said TKIs in South Korea and their families at home did not need to be worried about the layoffs because apart from the manufacturing sector, there were other sectors in South Korea which needed workers such as construction, fisheries, restaurants and so forth.

He was explaining the results of his recent visit to South Korea in an effort to increase cooperation on TKIs placement in South Korea`s formal sector through a G-to-G program.

Jumhur Hidayat said that there were about 33 thousand TKIs working in the formal sector in South Korea.

Some of them, particularly who worked in the manufacturing sector have been laid off because the companies which employed them have been closed down.

The HRDK is a formal agency under the South Korean Manpower Ministry which is in charge of recruiting expatriates. It also is in charge of recruiting South Korean skilled workers to be placed overseas.

During his visit in South Korea, Hidayat signed an agreement on the Arrangement of Employment Permit System - Korean Language Test (EPS-KLT) with HRDK.

The new EPS-KLT agreement is intended to facilitate the Korean language test for Indonesian workers before being placed in South Korea.

Jumhur said that the HRDK had established Korean language test centers in Jakarta, Makassar, Medan, Surabaya and Searang.(*)

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TKI Beri Devisa Terbesar Setelah Migas

Padang, (ANTARA News) - Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (TKI) seperti di Timur Tengah dan Malaysia memberikan devisa terbesar setelah minyak bumi dan gas alam.

"Pengiriman TKI ke luar negeri ternyata memberikan sumbangan devisa terbesar kedua setelah migas," kata Deputi Bidang Perlindungan, Badan Nasional Penempatan dan Perlindungan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia, Asikin, di Padang, Selasa.

Jumlah devisa dari TKI mencapai 5 miliar dolar AS sampai September tahun 2008 dan TKI yang dikirim mencapai 700 ribu orang kebanyakan dari Jawa Tengah dan Jawa Timur.

Berdasarkan data, devisa yang dihasilkan TKI meningkat setiaa tahun yakni 3,4 miliar dolar AS tahun 2006, enam miliar dolar AS pada 2007, dan lima miliar dolar AS sejak Januari sampai September tahun 2008.

Dia mengatakan, di negara tujuan tersebut kinerja sejumlah TKI dinilai cukup bagus bahkan ada beberapa di antaranya yang diberi pengharagaan khusus seperti di Taiwan.

Selain memberikan devisa terbesar dari negara, TKI yang sudah kembali ke tanah air dominan juga bisa berwirausaha dengan modal yang didapat setelah kembali bekerja di luar negeri.(*)

[peseg5]

Mau tanya, sumber devisa dari TKI itu ditarik dari apa aja ya?

Biaya2nya?

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Serikat Pekerja: Segera Bentuk Peradilan Khusus Buruh

Solo (ANTARA News) - Serikat Pekerja Nasional (SPN) mendesak dibentuknya lembaga peradilan khusus menangani hubungan industrial, langsung di bawah Departemen Tenaga Kerja dan Transmigrasi karena penyelesaian perselisihan buruh yang selama ini ditempuh melalui pengadilan umum sering mengabaikan hak pekerja.

"Semestinya pemerintah dapat mengambil peran dalam menyelesaikan perselisihan yang sering terjadi antara perusahaan dengan pekerja," kata Ketua Umum DPP SPN Bambang Wirahyoso di Solo, Selasa

Menurut dia, masih banyak pekerja Indonesia yang belum memperoleh hak sesuai ketentuan perundangan-undangan, disamping nasibanya yang memprihatinkan.

Dia beralasan, jika setiap sengketa industrial diselesaikan melalui lembaga peradilan umum, maka peluang pekerja untuk menang sangat kecil.

"Para pengusaha mampu menyewa pengacara berapa pun biayanya, sedangkan buruh tidak memiliki apa-apa. Negara sudah melepaskan perlindungan terhadap buruh," tegasnya.

Selain itu, tiga paket undang-undang yang mengatur masalah ketenagakerjaan saat ini --tentang Ketenagakerjaan, tentang serikat buruh dan seriat pekerja, dan tentang penyelesaian perselisihan hubungan industrial-- dinilai memberatkan kaum buruh dan sering menimbulkan polarisasi.

"Banyak bunyi pasal dalam tiga UU itu yang tumpang tindih," katanya. (*)

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PHK Bayangi Industri Sepeda Motor
Senin, 2 Februari 2009 - 10:12 wib



JAKARTA - Pemutusan hubungan kerja (PHK) membayangi industri motor nasional. Setidaknya sebanyak 10.000 orang terancam di-PHK akibat turunnya utilisasi pabrikan.

Utilisasi pabrik turun seiring perkiraan anjloknya pasar motor nasional hingga 30 persen, dari realisasi tahun lalu sebesar 6,2 juta unit menjadi hanya 4,5 juta unit.

Menurut Wakil Ketua Asosiasi Industri Sepeda Motor Indonesia (AISI) Siswanto Prawiroatmojo, sekira 5 hingga 10 persen dari total 100.000 total tenaga kerja yang ada dalam seluruh lapisan industri sepeda motor nasional terancam kehilangan pekerjaannya akibat penurunan utilisasi tersebut.

"Pasar meredup, pemutusan hubungan kerja tahun ini tetap akan terjadi meski tidak akan bersifat massal," ujarnya di Jakarta. Penyesuaian jumlah tenaga kerja perlu dilakukan pihak pabrikan guna menekan ongkos produksi seiring penurunan pasar.

Penurunan produksi tersebut selanjutnya menimbulkan efek domino yang berdampak pada industri pendukung, seperti industri komponen. Presiden Direktur PT Inti Kanzen Motor (IKM) Ari H Soeroso membenarkan sinyalemen ini. Pihaknya telah melakukan pengurangan tenaga kerja sejak awal 2009.

Pengurangan itu terjadi di bagian produksi, khususnya pabrik perakitan motor Kanzen. "Dari total 500 orang karyawan yang ada di pabrik, kita telah melakukan pengurangan sekira 120 orang," ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Vice President PT Astra Honda Motor (AHM) Siswanto Prawiroatmojo mengatakan, tahun ini pihaknya memang melakukan perampingan karyawan. Kendati demikian, langkah ini tak terkait dengan faktor krisis ekonomi akibat dampak krisis keuangan global yang tengah berlangsung, melainkan lebih karena kegiatan rutinitas tahunan.

"Kami tidak memperpanjang kontrak beberapa karyawan, jumlahnya di bawah 100 orang. Hal ini lumrah dan terjadi setiap tahunnya," paparnya. Namun menurutnya, jika tahun ini pada AHM terjadi penurunan pasar, perusahaan akan melakukan penyesuaian tingkat produksi. Mengenai jumlah PHK, dia memperkirakan 5 persen dari total karyawan.

"Skenario terburuknya, jika tahun ini perseroan tidak mencapai target produksi 2,1 juta unit maka akan ada penyesuaian jumlah karyawan," tandasnya.
(sindo//ton)

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Honda Mobil Indonesia PHK Puluhan Karyawan
DOK.KOMPAS.COM


Karyawan Honda sedang merakit All New Jazz

Kamis, 29/1/2009 | 14:53 WIB

JAKARTA, KAMIS — Bila Honda Motor Co (HMC) Jepang sudah ancang-ancang akan memberhentikan ribuan karyawannya, di Indonesia malah sudah dilakukan lebih dulu. Terutama dari PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) selaku agen tunggal pemegang merek (ATPM) mobil Honda yang sudah merumahkan puluhan karyawannya.

Hal itu dibenarkan oleh Jonfis Fandy, selaku Marketing & Aftersales Service Director PT HPM ketika ditanya Kompas.com dalam acara penghargaan "Warta Citra Adiwahana" dari Honda buat jurnalis Indonesia di XXI Club di Djakarta Theater, Jakarta, Kamis (29/1). "Jumlahnya sekitar 20 orang dan mereka yang diberhentikan itu sebagai karyawan kontrakan," jelas Jonfis.

Untuk karyawan tetap masih dipertahankan. "Hanya jam kerjanya dikurangi, bila sebelumnya dua shift dipotong menjadi satu shift," tegas Jonfis.

Langkah yang dilakukan HPM tentu berkaitan dengan krisis ekonomi global. Lebih utamanya lagi, merosotnya penjualan mobil di Tanah Air. Honda, menurut Jonfis, untuk Januari 2009—meski waktunya masih ada dua hari—total penjualannya menurun sekitar 30 persen dari yang ditargetkan tiap bulannya.

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Malaysia deports 1,500 workers hailing from North Sumatra

Medan, (ANTARA News) - Some 1,500 Indonesian workers hailing from North Sumatra were deported from Malaysia during the past few days as a result of economic crisis hitting the neighboring country.

"At least 208 of the deportees had to come home as their work contracts had expired," Drs H. Sumadi, the head of the manpower services, placement and protection office of North Sumatra, said here on Saturday.

However, Sumadi further said the main factor of the workers` repatriation was the fact that their work contracts were terminated and were on leave.

According to him, work opportunities in Malaysia were wide open especially in the non-formal sector like farming, cleaning service, construction, house helper and restaurant.

"Other formal sector still open for job seekers is the field of plantation, while that for electronic is still limited," he said.

With existing job opportunity in non formal sector, Sumadi felt optimistic that the target to send around 10,000 workers to Malaysia could be realized.

Earlier, Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Dai Bachtiar said, in 2009 around 100,000 workers from Malaysia would return to their villages in Indonesia following economic crisis in that country.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno said the return of 100,000 workers from Malaysia this year had been predicted. (*)

[bagak]

I decided to create this thread due to the numerous problems faced by our migrant workers, so let's share and discussed about it here....
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Indonesia mulls plans to stop sending maids to Malaysia

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...437047/1/.html

JAKARTA: Indonesia is considering plans to temporarily stop sending its domestic helpers to Malaysia due to the abuse and mistreatment they sometimes suffer in the neighbouring country, a report said Friday.

Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno said the government would be forced to act unless the abuse stopped, amid a spate of recent cases that have shocked the country.

"We will likely stop it temporarily. We will have a meeting on June 23 with several related ministers to conduct a preliminary evaluation," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.

In the latest case to make headlines, Indonesian maid Siti Hajar was badly scarred after allegedly being repeatedly tortured by her Malaysian female employer for three years.

The 33-year-old maid from West Java was beaten with a cane and doused with boiling water. Her employer was charged Thursday with causing grievous bodily harm and faces a 20-year jail term.

A Malaysian former flight attendant was sentenced in November to 18 years in jail for using an iron and scalding water to inflict horrific wounds on her Indonesian maid.

Malaysia has no laws governing conditions for domestic workers but the government has promised to draft legislation to protect them from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor conditions.

Suparno said the government would block the flow of domestic servants "until the Malaysian government gives us an assurance that it will protect Indonesian migrant workers there."

Malaysia is home to some 1.2 million documented Indonesian workers, as well as about 800,000 illegal Indonesian workers.

Siti Hajar: I want to forget the hell

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...rget-hell.html

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 06/10/2009 3:34 PM | World
Siti Hajar, the Indonesian maid who was badly scarred after allegedly being repeatedly tortured by her employer in Malaysia, wants only to forget her three years of torture and return home to her family in West Java, thestar.com.my reports.

The 33-year-old from Garut said she longed to be with her family so she could forget the torture she suffered at the hands of her employer.

“I want to put all the misery I went through behind me. I just want to be with my family,” said Siti when met at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) where she was being treated Tuesday.

Siti had travelled to work in Malaysia in July 2006 after her separating from her husband, an ice-cream vendor.

Asked if she would return to Malaysia to work, Siti was not sure, but said "I don't think all Malaysian employers are bad.”

It was being investigated whether the maid had also been sexually abused.

Relating her ordeal, Siti said she had tried to escape on a few occasions when she could no longer stand the physical abuse but was always caught by her employer.

She claimed that her employer had even hit her in front of her (the employer’s) 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son.

Her 43-year-old employer, a single mother of two, had also allegedly poured boiling water over her and had repeatedly beaten her with a cane since 34 months ago.

The maid had also claimed that she was only fed plain rice twice a day and forced to eat pork at times.

An Indonesian Embassy official who declined to be named said Siti had spoken to her family on the phone.

“Her family is anxious for the case to be resolved as quickly as possible because they want her to return to Indonesia,” he said.

Siti escaped from the employer’s residence in Lanai Kiara Condominium in Mont Kiara with help from a neighbour at 7.30am on Monday.

“I used a steel rod to prise open the front grille and with the help of a neighbour, I took a taxi to the Indonesian Embassy.

“I reached there at 8.30am and the taxi driver gave me RM10 after he heard what had happened to me,” Siti said.

Brickfields police chief Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said the employer had been remanded for five days beginning yesterday.

Police will also record statements from the taxi driver who took Siti to the embassy.

On Monday, Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Tan Sri Da’i Bactiar said the employer had willingly admitted to abusing Siti.

“She cried and apologised for abusing Siti,” he said.


Sitti Hajar



Nirmala Bonat

Malaysians bridle at day off for Indonesian maids

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifes...55I1FF20090619

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Proposals to give the hundreds of thousands of Indonesian maids working in Malaysia a compulsory day off a week have drawn ire from both employers and business groups who believe households will break down.

While Filipino maids are generally given a day off each week, the 370,000 Indonesian maids who work in this Southeast Asian country of 27 million people are generally not given time off.

The government had proposed the day off after a series of high profile cases involving mistreatment of Indonesian maids by employers, most recently a case in which a maid was assaulted with hot water, a hammer and scissors.

Indonesia is considering a moratorium on sending workers to Malaysia following the cases of violence, Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Friday.

An SMS poll for Malaysia's Star newspaper published on Friday showed that 76 percent of 585 respondents believed that giving maids the day off was a bad idea. WTF???

"I feel that by giving a weekly day off to the maid will expose them to unwanted activities such as dating boyfriends and bringing guys back when the bosses are at work," Noora Mat Rifin wrote in a letter to the Star Friday.

"They might neglect the children and other responsibilities because they will have too many friends and too many phone calls. This will result in more stress to the bosses when more conflicts are created."

The starting salary for a live-in Indonesian maid would typically be 550 ringgit ($155) a month in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

"We will listen to the views of all parties and I believe this matter will also be discussed in the cabinet," deputy minister Maznah Mazlan said, according to the Star, after hearing objections from business groups.

Indonesia's minister of manpower, Erman Suparno, was quoted by state news agency Antara Thursday as saying he planned to meet his Malaysian counterpart in mid July to review the current terms for Indonesian workers, including pay increases.

"If we can't reach an agreement to improve the protection of Indonesian workers then we will consider a temporary halt on sending them," he told Antara, adding that several ministries would discuss the implications of a moratorium next week.

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No more small talk, arrest and hold them till the case is done

Is it any wonder Malaysians have nothing to say about this. I am absolutely horrified to learn of this state of affairs and Malaysian attitude towards the maids.

No human should be treated in such manner, by another. When one is employed one pays for their skills and time and ability to do a task. Their dignity, respect, honour, body and mental well being are not part of the payment.They are areas to be respected by another individual. I feel so sad that Malaysian society has been lowered itself so much, and have lost the respect for another individual, simply because they think they pay their wages, they own them, and can abuse them to one heart's delight. Very wrong thinking. Disgusting ....is all I can think...to treat another human being in such a manner.

I know of a family who have come back from abroad, do NOT employ a maid when they can ..as they feel...that they cannot condone the manner maids are treated in Malaysia, and do not wish to be part of the evil culture that mistreats people...

[bagak]

Overseas demand for Indonesian workers stays high

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...tays-high.html

The ongoing global financial crisis will not reap havoc on the demand for Indonesian migrant workers, particularly in Kuwait, the United States and Canada, an official said.

According to the promotion director of Manpower Replacement and Protection (BNP2TKI) Endang Sulistyaningsih, opportunity for Indonesian laborers to work abroad remains high, with the U.S. and Canada in need of about one million nurses and care-givers.

"I just came back from the U.S., and they said they are seeking up to one million nurses before 2020," Endang told Antara.

Endang added that the demand for care-givers in the U.S. and Canada was on the rise due to the huge population of elderly citizens.

"Opportunities for our citizens to work abroad remain high, but the biggest challenge comes from language proficiency. We still lag behind the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh, but only because English is an official language in those countries," she said.

On its official website (www.Bnptki2.go.id), BNP2TKI said that, through a private manpower recruitment company, Kuwait had requested 12,000 nurses from Indonesia for 2009.

"This is a hard work to deal with in 2009," BNP2TKI head Muh. Jumhur Hidayat said, after a meeting with the company's chief executive in Kuwait on Monday.

According to the latest data from the Central Statistics Bureau there are 5 million Indonesian migrant workers across the world. The bureau has predicted the number will grow by 700,000 to 1 million next year.

BNP2TKI data showed that the total combined remittance of migrant workers increased from US$3.42 billion in 2006 to $5.84 billion last year. In the first four months of 2008, the figure already stood at $2.23 billion.

Canada is deemed the best potential market for Indonesian workers. Yonas Karyanto, the general manager of labor supplier PT Yonasindo Intra Pratama, said Tuesday that, at the end of the year, the North American country had requested 500 skilled Indonesian workers. The company has managed to send just 15 people so far, as the rest failed to meet the Canadian Embassy's qualifications.

Yonas said Canadian employers would pay their Indonesian employees salary equal to that given to local workers. (iwp)

[bagak]

First batch of nurses leaves for Japan

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...ves-japan.html

Dian Kuswandini , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 08/07/2008 10:10 AM | Headlines

Singing the famous Japanese oldie "Kokoro no Tomo", hundreds of Indonesian nurses and caregivers spent their last hours on home soil on Thursday before leaving for Japan to work.

"Kokoro no Tomo" means a bosom friend. Just like the song, you'll find good friends in Japan. Make as many friends as you can, so you can get over the homesick feeling you might get," Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojiro told the Indonesian migrant workers gathered at his residence.

Shiojiro and Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno saw off 205 nurses and caregivers, the first batch of Indonesian skilled workers to enter the Japanese labor market as part of an economic partnership agreement (EPA) signed by the two countries earlier this year. Under the EPA, Indonesia will send a total of 1,000 nurses and caregivers to Japan by 2009.

"Don't forget to promote our culture in Japan. You can even consider starting a batik business there," Erman joked, to the laughter of the migrant workers.

The workers will take a six-month Japanese language course before they continue with the rest of their employment contracts, which last between three and four years.

Erman said the nurses and caregivers would have to pass the Japanese skill examination before being allowed to work.

"The Japanese government said it was happy to welcome Indonesian professional workers. And for us, this is an opportunity to prove to the world we have high quality workers," Erman said.

Male nurse Rudi, 27, said he and his friends were offered salaries ranging from Rp 15 million to Rp 20 million per month.

"Of course we have to perform well to show we deserve the salary," Rudi said.

Another nurse, Gusti Ayu Eka, 23, said all the nurses needed a minimum of 2 years' work experience to qualify for the program. Eka previously worked in a health clinic in Bali.

"Because we are the first batch of this program, we must work hard to build a good image of Indonesian workers. Our performance will affect the continuation of the program," she said.

Jumhur Hidayat, head of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), said the employment of Indonesian nurses and caregivers would lead to further cooperation in the employment sector.

"I was informed Japan needs some 600,000 caregivers in the next seven years because the number of aging people there is on the rise due to high standards of living," Jumhur said.

The EPA, signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Aug. 20, 2007, in Jakarta, is designed to strengthen bilateral economic relations between the Asian nations.

It addresses trade tariffs, investment and migration. It also covers a capacity building program in Indonesia under the Manufacturing Industrial Development Center for the automotive, petrochemical, food and beverage, equipment and small and medium enterprise sectors.

[bagak]

PJTKI Sambut Baik Penandatanganan MoU dengan Jordania
http://bisniskeuangan.kompas.com/rea...engan.jordania

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Kalangan perusahaan jasa TKI menyambut baik penandatanganan nota kesepahaman antara Pemerintah Indonesia dan Jordania yang ditandatangani di Bali, kemarin malam, karena menunjukkan komitmen untuk melindungi TKI informal.
Wakil Ketua Asosiasi Perusahaan Jasa TKI Rusdi Basalamah yang turut hadir pada penandatanganan itu ketika dihubungi dari Jakarta, Minggu (28/6) pagi, mengatakan, peristiwa itu menunjukkan komitmen kedua negara untuk melindungi TKI informal.

"Harus kita akui, selama ini banyak masalah yang harus diselesaikan oleh kedua negara untuk melindungi dan memenuhi hak-hak TKI serta menjamin hak-hak majikan. MoU tersebut menunjukkan komitmen kedua negara bahwa program ini harus dibenahi," kata Rusdi.

Sementara itu, Ketua Himpunan Pengusaha Jasa TKI Yunus M Yamani yang juga hadir pada acara tersebut mengatakan, setelah ditandatangani, hal yang harus dilakukan adalah merealisasikan nota kesepahaman tersebut. "Karena percuma saja jika ada upacara penandatanganan tanpa diikuti dengan implementasi (pelaksanaan) dari MoU tersebut," katanya.

Mengenai manfaat yang bisa diambil dari peristiwa tersebut, Rusdi mengatakan, kesepakatan yang sama hendaknya juga bisa dilaksanakan di negara lain, terutama Kuwait yang problemanya juga sama, bahkan lebih parah.

"Saya menanti realisasi dari pernyataan Pak Menteri (Erman) yang akan menutup (menghentikan sementara) penempatan ke Kuwait jika tidak ada jaminan perlindungan dari negara tersebut," kata Rusdi.
Sebelumnya, Pemerintah Indonesia yang diwakili Departemen Tenaga Kerja dan Transmigrasi menandatangani kerja sama bilateral dalam bentuk MoU dengan Pemerintah Kerajaan Jordania Hashimiah di bidang penempatan dan perlindungan TKI sektor informal (domestic workers).

Penandatanganan dilakukan Menakertrans Erman Suparno dan Menteri Perburuhan Jordan Gazi Hamdallah Shbaikat di Bali pada Sabtu malam. Penandatanganan itu disaksikan duta besar kedua negara dan juga pelaku penempatan kedua negara serta undangan lainnya.

EDJ

[bagak]

Majikan Malaysia Ogah Bayar PRT 2.000 Ringgit
http://bisniskeuangan.kompas.com/rea....2.000.ringgit.

KUALA LUMPUR, KOMPAS.com - Pemerintah Malaysia membikin skema untuk memberi pelatihan bagi orang-orang lokal sebagai pembantu rumah tangga untuk mengurangi ketergantungan terhadap pekerja dari luar Malaysia. Sayangnya, skema ini gagal lantaran majikan emoh mengupah pembantu dengan ongkos yang tinggi.

Tahun lalu, pemerintah merilis kursus untuk menciptakan home manager. Mereka bisa menggaet tak kurang dari 2.000 ringgit atau sekitar Rp 5,8 juta per bulan. Upah ini empat kali lebih besar dari yang biasanya dibayarkan oleh majikan Malaysia untuk pelayan dari Indonesia.

Namun, organisasi yang menyelenggarakan pelatihan ini, Institut Karisma mengatakan pada News Straits Times bahwa dari enam kali pelatihan yang telah digelar, para majikan menolak upah yang harus mereka bayarkan untuk mempekerjakan home manager ini. Bagi majikan ini, 2.000 ringgit terbilang tinggi.

"Saya mendapatkan beberapa permintaan untuk home manager, namun majikan hanya bersedia untuk membayar 400 ringgit saja," kata Shah Amirudin Idris, Manager Institut Karisma.

Menurut Shah, meski level home manager lebih tinggi ketimbang pelayan biasa, namun para majikan ini melihat pekerjaan home manager tak ubahnya dengan pembantu biasa.

Sementara itu, Menteri Tenaga Kerja Maznah Mazlan mengatakan pada parlemen kemarin bahwa pengupahan (yang tinggi-red) dan kondisi akan menjadi dorongan bagi warga lokal untuk bekerja sebagai pelayan.

Sebuah media lokal di Malaysia mengatakan, hanya 6,7 persen orang Malaysia yang bersedia untuk membayar lebih dari 700 ringgit per bulan untuk mengupahi pembantu rumah tangga. Sementara itu, rumah tangga Malaysia mempekerjakan tak kurang dari 320.000 pembantu yang diusung dari Indonesia, Filipina, Kamboja dan Sri Lanka.

Minggu lalu, pemerintah Indonesia menegaskan bakal menghentikan kiriman tenaga kerjanya ke Malaysia lantaran si majikan Malaysia melakukan tindak kekerasan terhadap pelayannya. (Femi Adi Soempeno/Kontan)

[Jungle_surf]

arus TKI (Kebutuhan) tidak bisa dibendung dgn serta merta menghentikan pengiriman TKI (ilegal). Justru dgn menghentikan TKI utk sementara waktu akan memicu maraknya arus TKI Ilegal.
Yang harus dipertimbangkan dan dimengerti adalah..., TKI ilegal 0% tidak bisa mendapatkan perlindungan. Mereka yg tersiksa bahkan tidak berani melaporkan keSEMUA pihak dalam keadaannya yg ILEGAL. Bahkan utk kembali ke negara sendiri saja tidak bisa.
Masalah ini tidak bisa di_anggap sepele oleh pemerintah kita dengan sekejap dan gamblang MENGHENTIKAN pengiriman TKI begitu saja!

Contoh ;
Saya pernah mendapatkan cerita dr TKI ilegal yg dimana mereka dipekerjakan dgn sangat tidak manusia dan layak. Tapi apa kata.... status ilegal membuat tidak memberikan ruang kepada mereka.

[paradyto]

Malaysia, RI to revise agreement on workers
Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 07/07/2009 8:45 AM | National

Indonesia has said it will lift a ban on migrant workers traveling to Malaysia after the two countries agreed to revise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on domestic labor.

The two countries will form a joint working committee to specifically look at this revision, with the start of discussions scheduled for next week.

“I predict that [the revision] will be completed within two weeks. The MoU will be signed in early August by the two countries,” Indonesia’s Manpower and Transmigration Minister, Erman Soeparno, said to Antara news agency Monday.

“[After the revision] Indonesia will lift the suspension on domestic workers traveling to Malaysia.”
Erman met with Malaysia’s Police Chief Mussa Hassan and Human Resources Minister Subramaniam in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to discuss the matter.

He said Indonesia would permanently stop sending domestic workers to Malaysia if the revision failed to be agreed upon by the two countries.

Indonesia has enforced a ban on domestic workers traveling to Malaysia since June 26, following a series of abuse cases against Indonesian migrant workers in the neighboring country.

Erman said Indonesia wanted to revise the 2006 MoU on domestic workers so it was in line with the country’s 2007 Human Trafficking Law and the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law.

Revision of the MoU, Erman said, would include revising the fee structures and transport costs for domestic workers, their salaries, their leave, political rights and right to religion and ownership of their passport.

Erman specifically asked Malaysia to stop discriminating against Indonesian workers in terms of salaries, saying they should be paid as much as their counterparts from other parts of the world.

“We want domestic workers from Indonesia to receive the same salaries as those [domestic workers] from other countries,” he said.

“If an employee from another country earns RM 1,000 per month, Indonesian domestic workers must receive the same amount.

“We can tolerate disparity in salaries because of different employment sectors, but differing wages for the same sector is simply discrimination,” Erman said.

Indonesia and Malaysia had long planned to revise the MoU but only met Monday to discuss it. Malaysia is allegedly reluctant to revise the agreement because it would involve changing many internal regulations.

[paradyto]

Migrant workers` remittances at US$9.9 bln per year

Serang (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Some six million Indonesian migrant workers abroad are sending a total of about Rp100 trillion (US$9.9 billion) home a year, making them the country`s second largest foreign exchange earner after oil and gas, a manpower official said.

National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) head Jumhur Hidayat said on Monday migrant workers were doing a great service to their country because they helped to reduce unemployment, each of them was providing a living for an average of five family members, and having a "multiplier effect" on regional development.

He said the government should treat migrant workers with high respect, from the time they depart, while they were working abroad until they return home.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - Sept 2, 2009
published by Asia Pulse

[peseg5]

Originally Posted by =NaNdA=

Honda Mobil Indonesia PHK Puluhan Karyawan
DOK.KOMPAS.COM

Kalau u/ manufaktur sih nan, biasanya operator mesin, satpam, clerk, cleaning service, dan yg setingkat itu memang di set oleh HRD perusahaan sebagai karyawan kontrak agar perusahaan bisa fleksibel mengatur cost jikalau saat2 spt krisis ini penjualan terus menurun. Kalau ibarat pepatahnya adalah dengan kebijakan ini "andaikata ada badai, awak kapal dapat membuang beberapa penumpang demi keselamatan kapal". Memang terdengar kejam, tapi itulah realita kapitalisme yang berlaku di semua tempat.