Published July 7, 2009

Ban on maids to M'sia may end: Jakarta

Indonesian labour minister proposes minimum wage, compulsory day off

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(KUALA LUMPUR) Indonesia yesterday said that its ban on sending maids to Malaysia, triggered by the latest abuse case, could be lifted within weeks if discussions are successful.

Ensuring their safety: Mr Suparno (centre), inspecting the injuries to maids Modesta Rengga Kaka (left) and Siti Hajar (right) during his visit to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur yesterday

The ban was imposed last month after a 43-year-old Malaysian woman was charged with causing grievous bodily harm after beating her Indonesian maid and scalding her with boiling water.

Indonesian Labour Minister Erman Suparno said that in discussions with Malaysian officials yesterday, he made proposals including the introduction of a compulsory day off for maids - who currently often work seven days a week.

He also wants maids to be allowed to retain their passports, instead of giving them to employers, and to have their wages paid into a bank to deter employers from withholding salaries.

'We want severe punishment on employers who abuse their maids,' he told a press conference.

The proposals, as well as a bid to introduce a minimum wage, will be discussed further when the two sides meet here formally on July 15.

'We will start discussions on July 15; and hopefully in two weeks, we will arrive at a decision,' the minister said.

'We hope that the discussion will solve the problems so we can resume sending the maids,' he said. 'We are optimistic.'

Mr Suparno criticised the low wages that Indonesian domestic workers receive in Malaysia, often about RM400 (S$165) while their counterparts from the Philippines earn two or three times as much.

'There should be a standard wage regardless of where the maids are from. There should be no difference between Indonesia and the Philippines. This is a form of discrimination,' he said. Malaysia has no laws governing working conditions for domestic workers but has promised to draft legislation to protect them from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor conditions.

Malaysian officials said that an average of 50 maid abuse cases were reported each year out of 300,000 Indonesian maids working here, but the Indonesian embassy here said that 1,000 maids experience violence and mistreatment annually.

In the most recent abuse case, a 25-year-old Indonesian claimed that she was beaten and punched by her employer and had not been paid for two years. She was rescued with bruises and scars after a neighbour called the police. The case is under investigation.

Also last month, a Malaysian woman was charged with scalding her 33-year-old Indonesian maid with hot water and injuring her with scissors and a hammer. The employer faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine or whipping if convicted in court of causing grievous hurt.

About 1.2 million documented Indonesians are in Malaysia, with illegals estimated to number about 800,000. -- AFP