KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia is demanding a review of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) concerning formal sector workers from their country to Malaysia, especially those in agriculture and construction, after 20 years.
Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Hermono said among the issues requiring attention is the embassy's necessity to oversee the process of hiring workers in Malaysia and the matter of salaries needing adjustment in accordance with the minimum wage policy in Malaysia.
He said Indonesia and Malaysia have two MoUs related to migrants encompassing all sectors, signed in 2004, except for Indonesian domestic workers (PDI).
The MoU specifically involving PDI or domestic workers was jointly sealed by both neighbouring countries on April 1, 2022.
"The previous MoU covers all formal sectors including agriculture and construction, which have not undergone review for 20 years, and we are requesting a review to align with the situation in Malaysia.
"To some extent, the procedures need to mirror those of the Indonesian domestic workers MoU, but naturally, it should be more flexible since monitoring the entry of domestic workers into Malaysia is more challenging as they work within homes.
"However, we want a monitoring system with a unified standard for Indonesian workers in Malaysia," he told Berita Harian.
Hermono said the matter concerning the MoU would be proposed through the employment groups of both countries in the near future.
He expressed confidence that through this new MoU, Indonesian workers in Malaysia would receive better protection and welfare.
On a separate matter, he said a total of 138,130 foreign workers who overstayed until Dec 31, 2022, had applied for passports and work contracts through the Foreign Worker Recalibration Program (RTK), with the majority being from the construction sector.
Regarding the issue of the need for domestic workers, Hermono said over 1,000 Indonesian domestic workers are expected to arrive in the country after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
This comes after approximately 10,000 domestic workers applied for work contracts since August 2022, four months after the MoU was signed, with 9,000 already in Malaysia.
"We observe that after the MoU, there have been no issues with Indonesian domestic workers entering Malaysia, and any issues that arise are easily resolved.
"This implies that in terms of protection, it is much better compared to before signing the MoU when we frequently heard of abuse cases or employers not paying salaries. This time, no serious cases have been reported," he said.
Regarding the ceiling price of RM15,000 to bring in Indonesian domestic workers, he said the amount is sufficient because a lower price would discourage agents from sending domestic workers to Malaysia.
He also said that until now, Indonesian domestic workers have been receiving high demand from Saudi Arabia.
Hermono added that although many job opportunities are available, especially in the construction sector in Japan and Taiwan, most Indonesian workers prefer Malaysia.
Until now, he said the number of Indonesian workers who have Temporary Employment-Visit Pass (PLKS) to Malaysia is approximately 490,000, including those who underwent the RTK process.
Regarding the RTK 2.0 programme, over 337,000 have applied until December 2023, with 166,849 attending the verification process.
From that total, more than 57,000 have successfully obtained PLKS as of last January.