SINGAPORE: Maid agencies in Singapore will now have to apply online for employment contracts for Indonesian foreign domestic workers with the country's embassy.
The change takes effect on Wednesday.
The new online
system will help the embassy compile data and track the domestic workers
from the time they leave Indonesia for Singapore.
The Indonesian embassy held a briefing for employment agencies on Wednesday to explain the changes.
In the past, the embassy said it does not have full information of all its domestic workers in Singapore.
This is because the data was just shared between employment agencies in Indonesia and Singapore.
Now, both Indonesia and Singapore employment agencies must key in the necessary data into the online system.
The embassy said having such information will help it safeguard the welfare of its citizens.
Sukmo
Yuwono, counsellor, Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, said: "Based on
all that data, I'm very confident it will give protection in the
beginning when the Indonesian domestic helper has problems in Singapore.
"Because if I have a call from the police, for example, if I
don't have any data, I have to find out by myself. I need to search
through Indonesia, search all the agencies... but if they are already
keyed in to our system, I will just find out from the system."
Employment agencies said the online process may be more tedious.
This
is because even after the online process, agencies have to print out
the Employment Contract and submit it to the embassy for endorsement.
Agencies then need to send the Employment Contract to their counterparts
in Indonesia.
This new system is also expected to put a stop to the practice of some employers who hire maids directly from Indonesia.
K
Jayaprema, president, Association of Employment Agencies, said: "So we
are looking at more business for the local employment agencies because
it looks like only the accredited agencies with the Indonesian embassy
will be able to download the employment contract.
"So definitely
employers have to go to a local agency to help them with this contract.
And it's not going to just stop with new girls coming in, I think it's
also for renewal, also for the transfer of girls."
The
Indonesian government said it wants to stop sending domestic workers
abroad as of 2017. It wants to provide comprehensive training so that
workers are ready to enter more competitive industries. Stricter
requirements may also be applied by 2017.
"But it's something we
have to wait and see how effective this is going to be because
definitely, they see anybody working overseas as a better source of
income. So unless they are able to earn equally good salaries, I don't
think the ban is going to work," said K Jayaprema, president,
Association of Employment Agencies.
The Indonesian government had
previously imposed a moratorium on sending migrant workers to Saudi
Arabia due to the implementation of the death penalty on a number of
Indonesian workers there.
- CNA/cc