KL TO RAISE ISSUE OF MAIDS 10 MIN

Straits Times
By Elizabeth Looi,
Malaysia Correspondent
11/9/2009



KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA will seek clarification from Jakarta on complaints that its embassy here will not renew passports of Indonesian maids who are paid less than RM600 (S$245) a month.
The issue became public after the employers of the maids and foreign worker agencies raised complaints. 'They (the maids) are asked how much they are paid and if they are paid below RM600, their passports are not renewed,' said Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam on Wednesday.
Indonesia is asking for minimum wages for its workers in Malaysia, and the embassy's move is seen as part of its pressure tactics.
The whole issue of Indonesian labour working in Malaysia forms part of the ongoing tensions between the two neighbours, as many Indonesians say workers are being exploited with low wages and poor working conditions.
Malaysians, on the other hand, argue that the jobs given to some two million Indonesian workers help them support their families back home.
Horror stories of how some Indonesian maids were treated by their employers, and how factory workers were not paid salaries, have added to perceptions of unjust treatment among Indonesians.
Earlier, it was reported that Indonesia wants its maids and other workers to be paid at least RM800 a month.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, who met Indonesian Ambassador Da'i Mochtar on Wednesday, said Jakarta wanted the RM600 minimum wage for its workers in other sectors also, like construction and manufacturing, The Star newspaper reported on Thursday.
But the plan is unlikely to be accepted in Malaysia because there is no law setting minimum wages in the country. 'It's just not fair. Some locals working in the private sector do not even receive RM800,' said Mr Omar Osman, president of the civil service union Cuepacs.
Indonesia's proposal came after its government pledged to protect its workers, following several maid abuse cases here. Indonesian maids, who make up 88 per cent of the 320,000 foreign maids in Malaysia, earn between RM450 and RM600 a month. The majority work long hours without any day off.