RI, M'SIA READY TO SIGN MOU ON MANPOWER PROTECTION

Jakarta, March 11 (ANTARA) - Indonesia and Malaysia have finished discussing a new memorandum of understanding on manpower protection and agreed to sign it later, Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said here on Thursday.

"Thank God, after months of negotiations the entire substance of the MOU has been approved. This is an important momentum with regard to protecting Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia," he said.

The minister said the two countries' representatives had finished discussing the substances and agreed to put them all in the draft MOU on Wednesday.

The substance of the agreement covers four issues namely passport, a day off, joint taskforce and placement cost.

Muhaimin said the new MOU would change the substance of the old MOU signed in 2004.

"The old MOU allows employers to keep the workers' passports and does not provide a day off in a week. Cases of violences on migrant workers that have occured so far are believed to have stemmed from the conditions," the minister said.

Acting director general of manpower placement and supervision, Abdul Malik Harahap, meanwhile said under the new MOU it is expected the number of workers with no official documents will drop and protection will be easier to be done.

He said problems that always rose in cases of workers being involved in disputes or leaving their empoyers always had to do with their documents because their passports were held by their employers.

"We will tighten the process of extension of recommendations and working contract between employers and workers," he said.

Regarding the wage the two countries would refer it to the price demand. As has been known one of the sticking points has been the fact Malaysia does not not recognize a minimum wage system.

"According to the working contract their wage is actually already above the country's minimum standard," Abdul said.

The editing of the MOU will be carried out on March 25-26 in Jakarta and afterwards it would be immediately signed.