Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to implement a pilot project on the recruitment of 10,000 domestic workers as early as next month, said Human Resource Minister M Saravanan.
Saravanan (above), who is currently on a working visit to Jakarta, said the project would be implemented next month after both governments signed the long-delayed memorandum of agreement (MOU) on recruitment of Indonesian domestic workers here.
According to the minister, both governments have agreed for the signing ceremony to be held in Bali on Feb 7 and Feb 8.
"The core MOU has been agreed including the main issues such as One Maid One House, One Channel System and domestic workers salary.
"Discussions on One Maid One House was agreed upon to replace the One Maid One Task proposal [...]," Saravanan said in a statement released following his meeting with Indonesia's Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah earlier today.
The One Maid One House agreement will see an Indonesian worker permitted to be employed in a household with a maximum of six members.
Malaysia had consistently objected to Indonesia's One Maid One Task proposal that gave employers the option to hire a certified Indonesian cook, caregiver, babysitter, or housekeeper at the national minimum wage.
Meanwhile, the One Channel System was Indonesia's proposal to ensure better protection for its citizens working as domestic helpers abroad.
"Malaysia and Indonesia have also agreed on a pilot recruitment project comprising 10,000 domestic workers, expected for implementation in one week after the MOU signing.
"This pilot project is crucial and significant to evaluate the effectiveness of the MOU implementation and moving forward to improve any weaknesses that arise," said Saravanan.
He added that issues regarding the cost structure of recruitment will be reviewed every six months to ensure that it is in line with current developments, taking into account, among others, airfares and quarantine costs.
The final cost for a Malaysian employer to hire a new Indonesian domestic helper so far remains unclear, with agencies reportedly charging up to five figures.
Saravanan said Indonesia has also agreed to send 10,000 workers to fill urgent vacancies in Malaysia's plantation sector, from a total of 32,000 special approvals granted by Putrajaya.
No more online recruitment
Separately, Ida said the new MOU will offer better protection and lower the risk of Indonesian domestic helpers running into problems in Malaysia, starting from doing away with online recruitments via the Immigration Department's Maid Online System.
She said the MOU terms include for Malaysia to stop converting the Immigration Department issued MyTravelPass into work permits, a practice which had been abused since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Both countries have agreed that the One Channel System will be the only channel to recruit and employ Indonesian migrant workers in (Malaysian) households," she said in a statement.
Ida explained the One Channel System would involve the integration of two online workers' management applications - Indonesia's Siapkerja and Malaysia's FWCMS.
Bilateral negotiations leading up to the upcoming signing was conducted amid mounting pressure from migrant rights groups for both governments to recognise domestic work as formal work and pass a law that would mandate better protection for domestic workers.
Malaysia and Indonesia had signed their first MOU on domestic workers recruitment on May 13, 2006, followed by the protocol to amend the MOU on May 31, 2011, which expired on May 30, 2016. - Mkini
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