KUALA LUMPUR: About 5,000 Indonesian domestic workers have been employed through the One-Channel System (OCS) since the signing of the Malaysia-Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding for the Employment and Protection of Domestic Workers (MOU-PDI).
Indonesia's Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said they are happy with its implementation so far, adding that the joint-working group (JWG) has been an effective avenue to discuss related issues.
"I'm happy because we have our JWG forum to keep on evaluating the OCS placement so that if there's any issues, we can discuss through the committees," she said during an unofficial visit to Kuala Lumpur last night organised by the National Association of Human Resources (Pusma).
She added that workers from other sectors including plantation, agriculture, manufacturing, services and construction make up the bulk of migrant workers from Indonesia.
Data from the Malaysian Immigration Department revealed that there are 444,741 Indonesians with Temporary Employment Visit Passes working in Malaysia
"The number of Indonesian migrant workers in the formal sector in Malaysia is larger. I have met with employers and agencies that have facilitated the employment of migrant workers and have asked for them to protect our workers.
"Both Malaysia and Indonesia need each other's commitment as Malaysia needs workers and Indonesia needs jobs; so we hope that we both can have that sort of mutual interdependence," she said.
Earlier in her opening speech, Ida had also appealed to Malaysian employers for their cooperation in granting Indonesian workers some time off from work for their presidential election day in February.
The election will be held on Feb 14, 2024, but overseas voters, including those in Malaysia, will cast their ballot on Sunday, Feb 11.
Malaysia and Indonesia inked the MOU-PDI on April 1, 2022 which outlined among others for domestic workers to be employed only through the OCS with a minimum salary of RM1,500.
The MOU-PDI also provided for the protection and welfare of the workers, including the right to notice of termination of employment contracts, paid annual leave, weekly rest days, rest time, and social protection with insurance.
The event hosted by Pusma was attended by 50 major Malaysian employers of migrant labourers, 80 registered Malaysia recruitment agencies and 30 Indonesian-registered recruitment agencies.
The gathering featured representatives from the association of recruitment agencies and the Indonesian Manpower Services Association (Apjati).