No Malaysia-Indonesia domestic worker MOU next week

 

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on recruitment of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia will not be signed in Bali next week as previously announced by Human Resource Minister M Saravanan.

English-daily The Star quoted him as saying Malaysia is still looking at a new signing date sometime later this month.

"We are still aiming to conclude the MOU within this month as we are aware of the urgent demand for domestic workers among our local employers," the minister reportedly said.

On Jan 24, Saravanan (above) announced, after meeting his counterpart from Indonesia, Ida Fauziyah, that the MOU would be signed in Bali, on Feb 7 and 8, to be followed by the launch of a pilot project involving 10,000 domestic workers.

A source familiar with the negotiations noted that Ida's statement issued on Jan 24 made no mention of the signing date or launch of the pilot project, indicating Malaysia had made a unilateral announcement on the matter.

Rather than proceeding with the agreement signing, the source said a delegation from Malaysia's Human Resource Ministry will still fly to Indonesia tomorrow for the next round of discussions.

Malaysiakini understands among pending matters to be resolved include an integration point for two online worker management applications - Indonesia's Siapkerja and Malaysia's FWCMS - that would become a One Channel System (OCS).

Saravanan said the OCS will serve as the sole digital platform for the employment of Indonesian domestic workers.

"Using one single platform allows better monitoring and effective implementation, and would address the issue of worker exploitation, including manipulation by irresponsible recruitment agencies.

"Indonesia has also expressed hope that both parties would honour their commitment to the OCS upon signing the MOU," said Saravanan, according to The Star.

Another key point of contention will be on the final cost structure to hire an Indonesian domestic worker.

Saravanan, who previously cited a figure of between RM10,000 and RM15,000, reportedly said both parties agreed for the cost to be reviewed every six months, compared to the previous agreement where it was only re-examined after five years.

"Post Covid-19, it is a challenge with regard to the cost of recruitment of foreign workers, including domestic workers. This is due to the cost of quarantine and the Covid-19 screening tests.

"Both parties have agreed for a review of the cost structure to keep abreast of current developments, especially in terms of costs related to the pandemic, including the airfare, which is a bit steep nowadays.

“In the future, if there is no longer a requirement for travellers to undergo quarantine, we can go for 'Test and Release' to bring down the cost," he said.

Bilateral negotiations leading up to the upcoming signing were 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 signed their first MOU on domestic worker recruitment on May 13, 2006, followed by an amendment of the MOU on May 31, 2011, which expired on May 30, 2016. - Mkini