ID :
205688
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 07:57
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205688
The shortlink copeid
MTUC SUPPORTS DIRECT RECRUITMENT OF INDONESIAN MAIDS
PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), Sept 7 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) on Wednesday expressed support for the government’s policy to allow Malaysians to recruit Indonesian maids directly.
Its vice-president, S. Balasubramaniam, said both the Malaysian employers and the maids would benefit greatly because the move would eliminate the middlemen agents who he claimed charged hefty fees.
He was commenting on the statement by the Indonesian Embassy’s minister-counsellor for information, social and cultural affairs, Suryana Sastradiredja, that direct recruitment of Indonesian domestic helpers was in contempt of Indonesian laws.
Balasubramaniam told Bernama it was wrong for the Indonesian embassy to put the blame squarely on the Malaysian government since it was the Indonesian agents who were “dragging their feet and had yet to implement the MoU signed between both countries three months ago”.
Under such circumstances, he said, it was only right for the government to allow direct recruitment.
He said the agents charged between RM8,000 (US$2,676) and RM12,000
(US$4,016), and this was a big burden on an average Malaysian household which could ill-afford such high fees.
Moreover, he said, part of the fees were to be deducted from the maid’s salary, which in some instances amounted to about six months.
“To work for six months without any pay is a totally unacceptable practice and is against all human ethics,” he said.
Balasubramaniam pointed out that bringing in maids was much cheaper and the employers, instead of paying the agents, could pay the maids a bigger salary.
He said that almost 99.9 per cent of Malaysian employers were humane and kind to their maids and the Indonesian authorities had nothing to be worried about.
“Mistreatment of maids is rare and far between, and is usually blown out of proportion by the media,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
Its vice-president, S. Balasubramaniam, said both the Malaysian employers and the maids would benefit greatly because the move would eliminate the middlemen agents who he claimed charged hefty fees.
He was commenting on the statement by the Indonesian Embassy’s minister-counsellor for information, social and cultural affairs, Suryana Sastradiredja, that direct recruitment of Indonesian domestic helpers was in contempt of Indonesian laws.
Balasubramaniam told Bernama it was wrong for the Indonesian embassy to put the blame squarely on the Malaysian government since it was the Indonesian agents who were “dragging their feet and had yet to implement the MoU signed between both countries three months ago”.
Under such circumstances, he said, it was only right for the government to allow direct recruitment.
He said the agents charged between RM8,000 (US$2,676) and RM12,000
(US$4,016), and this was a big burden on an average Malaysian household which could ill-afford such high fees.
Moreover, he said, part of the fees were to be deducted from the maid’s salary, which in some instances amounted to about six months.
“To work for six months without any pay is a totally unacceptable practice and is against all human ethics,” he said.
Balasubramaniam pointed out that bringing in maids was much cheaper and the employers, instead of paying the agents, could pay the maids a bigger salary.
He said that almost 99.9 per cent of Malaysian employers were humane and kind to their maids and the Indonesian authorities had nothing to be worried about.
“Mistreatment of maids is rare and far between, and is usually blown out of proportion by the media,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
