JAKARTA: Indonesia semalam menggesa Malaysia mempercepatkan kes pendakwaan terhadap majikan yang dituduh mendera pembantu rumah warga Jakarta.Malah, Jakarta menegaskan Kuala Lumpur perlu mengenakan hukuman seberat-beratnya yang bertindak sebagai cara mengelak kejadian sama berulang.
Gesaan itu dibuat di tengah-tengah hubungan tegang di antara dua negara jiran itu membabitkan kes membabitkan dakwaan seorang jurulatih karate Indonesia oleh polis Malaysia.Dua kes penderaan terbaru membabitkan tindakan pembantu rumah yang sanggup keluar menerusi tingkap pangsapuri menggunakan tali, atas alasan tidak tahan didera majikan Malaysia mereka.Bulan lalu, seorang wanita Malaysia didakwa kerana terbabit dalam pembunuhan pembantu rumahnya.“Kami berharap kerajaan Malaysia mengambil tindakan tegas yang dapat menjadi cara mengelak perkara itu berulang,” tegas jurucakap Kementerian Luar, Kristiarto Legowo pada sidang media, semalam.
Dalam satu kes tiga tahun lalu, seorang pembantu rumah Indonesia mendakwa dia didera dengan seterika, dicurah air panas oleh isteri majikannya. Perbicaraan kes itu masih berlangsung.Kemarahan Indonesia dikatakan semakin ketara selepas insiden mendakwa jurulatih karate itu dikasari polisMalaysia sudah membuat permohonan rasmi berhubung kejadian itu yang menyaksikan rakyat Indonesia mengadakan beratus-ratus bantahan di sekitar negara itu, selain tindakan ahli Parlimennya meminta produk Malaysia diboikot.
Kuala Lumpur turut menegaskan, biarpun kira-kira 1,200 pembantu rumah Indonesia itu lari daripada majikan mereka setiap bulan, ia tidak merancang mewujudkan satu peraturan khas mengenai pekerjaan itu. – Reuters
Showing posts with label GENERAL NEWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GENERAL NEWS. Show all posts
Sunday, September 9, 2007
‘Try-before-you-hire’ illegal maid service
Wednesday September 5, 2007
Other News & ViewsCompiled by NG SI HOOI AND A. RAMAN
A SYNDICATE is offering “maid express” service for RM100, Kosmo! reported.
The syndicate is active in the Klang Valley, including Shah Alam and Puchong.
Those interested can try out the service of the maids before hiring them permanently.
The daily's reporter went undercover and found out that the service received encouraging response. Maids were being hired everyday.
According to the person in charge, known only as Ibu Tuti, those interested could come anytime to pick up the maids from her house.
“If you interested, we have one maid available now.
“But they do not have any valid document except their passports,” Ibu Tuti told the reporter.
It is learned that some of the maids had run away from their previous employers.
“Some had just arrived from their villages (in Indonesia) and some had changed to different employers as they could not stand the work,” she said.
Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan warned those hiring an illegal maid of the complications that may arise later.
Other News & ViewsCompiled by NG SI HOOI AND A. RAMAN
A SYNDICATE is offering “maid express” service for RM100, Kosmo! reported.
The syndicate is active in the Klang Valley, including Shah Alam and Puchong.
Those interested can try out the service of the maids before hiring them permanently.
The daily's reporter went undercover and found out that the service received encouraging response. Maids were being hired everyday.
According to the person in charge, known only as Ibu Tuti, those interested could come anytime to pick up the maids from her house.
“If you interested, we have one maid available now.
“But they do not have any valid document except their passports,” Ibu Tuti told the reporter.
It is learned that some of the maids had run away from their previous employers.
“Some had just arrived from their villages (in Indonesia) and some had changed to different employers as they could not stand the work,” she said.
Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan warned those hiring an illegal maid of the complications that may arise later.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Induction course for Indonesian maids
Friday August 31, 2007
By FLORENCE A. SAMY
By FLORENCE A. SAMY
KUALA LUMPUR: Beginning October, Indonesia will have an induction course for those wanting to work in Malaysia as maids, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn.
"We have suggested to the Indonesian Government that maids from Indonesia be given an induction course for them to better understand our culture and the country's situation," he said when met after the Merdeka parade at Dataran Merdeka Friday.
Dr Fong was asked to comment on a recent case where an 11-month-old baby died after allegedly being abused by a foreign maid. A 32-year-old Indonesian maid had been arrested pending further investigations.
Following the recent incident, Dr Fong said his officer had spoken to an Indonesian officer about the need for maids to follow induction courses.
"They have agreed at the policy stage. I have been told that they will start the induction course this October.
"By attending the course, we hope that they will adapt better when they come here," he added.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
More transparency in maid insurance
Wednesday August 29, 2007
THE General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) has rolled out new requirements for employment agencies selling maid insurance to employers.
Such insurance, which is compulsory for anyone who wants to employ a maid, is meant to protect the maid’s welfare.
THE General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) has rolled out new requirements for employment agencies selling maid insurance to employers.
Such insurance, which is compulsory for anyone who wants to employ a maid, is meant to protect the maid’s welfare.
The new scheme – to boost transparency and professionalism in the insurance sales process – requires employment agencies distributing this insurance to be registered with the GIA, and have at least one staff member trained and qualified in selling the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) insurance.
GIA hopes that with these new rules in place, potential employers will know what type of coverage they are getting for their maids, based on the premium paid for the insurance policy.
From Nov 1, all GIA member companies will only accept FDW insurance from employment agencies that are registered as a “Trade Specific Agent” (TSA).
To be licensed as a TSA, an employment agency will need to meet certain criteria and service standards.
The TSA will need to sign an Agency Agreement with each of the insurers the agency is representing. It will also have to submit a Letter of Undertaking that the agency is only selling FDW insurance, and not other products.
The employment agency will also ensure that there is at least one staff member trained and certified to sell the insurance at its place of business.
The FDW insurance covers maids for personal accidents and injuries as well as hospitalisation expenses. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
One maid murdered, another faces murder charge
SUBANG JAYA: One maid was murdered while another is facing a murder charge in two unrelated incidents in Subang Jaya in the past two weeks. About 12.30am on Sunday, 11-month-old Mohd Naim Alma Zaadi, who was warded at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre for alleged abuse, succumbed to his injuries after being hospitalised for five days.An Indonesian maid had been picked up from a house in Putra Heights by police to facilitate investigations into the case.Following Naim’s death, the case has now been reclassified as murder. The maid, 32, has been remanded until Aug 29.The baby’s head was swollen and there were also signs of bruises in medical tests carried out last Wednesday.
The baby’s mother, Norashikin Mohd Ali, 37, said it was a case of "biting the hand that feeds you"."We will never forgive the maid for her actions and can only wait for judgment day when she has to answer for what she has done," the grief-stricken assistant manager said."We treated her like a member of the family."Our trust in the maid was misplaced and now, my baby paid the price for it."Her husband, businessman Alma Zaadi Annwar, 36, declined to speak to reporters during his youngest son’s burial at the Muslim cemetery in USJ 22.The couple have another 4-year-old son.
In the other case, a couple who have been detained by police in connection with the death of their Indonesian maid, are expected to be charged on Thursday.The man is expected to be charged with destroying evidence while his wife is to be charged for murder.Kunasir, 24, from Central Java, was found dead in a double-storey terrace house in Puchong Perdana last Tuesday.She was found in her room about 7pm with bruises on her neck and back.
Her employers were picked up to facilitate investigations.
Police later obtained a remand order for the contractor, in his 30s, and his 29-year-old wife from the Petaling Jaya magistrate’s court.
Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed both the cases, saying that police had wrapped up investigations on the couple and would be charging them on Thursday.
"In the case of the baby’s death, we will seek an extension of the remand if we have not completed our investigations by tomorrow," he said.
Better insurance for maids
KUALA LUMPUR: In two weeks’ time, maid agencies can opt for an insurance scheme with higher coverage than currently offered.
With an annual premium of RM48 and biennial premium of RM75, the Jerneh Insurance Bhd scheme will include a 30-working day premium-free coverage upon the maid’s arrival.While other insurance companies only give out compensations upon accidental deaths, under this scheme immediate families can expect RM10,000 if the maid dies of other causes. The scheme also pays RM100 to employers for ambulance fees when the maids are badly injured and RM5,000 if the maid were to damage their property or injure someone outside their families.
Introduced with the help of the Malaysian Association of Foreign Maids Agencies, the move is to attract more maids, especially from Indonesia, to the country.
Association president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan said the percentage of registered maids coming into Malaysia from Indonesia had dropped 50 per cent this year following reports of abusive employers, irresponsible maid agents and low wages offered compared with Singapore, Thailand, the Middle East, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Majikan mahu kemasukan secara sah ditambah
PELBAGAI pihak terutama pertubuhan yang mewakili sektor pekerjaan di negara ini tidak bersetuju sekiranya pengambilan pekerja warga asing dikurangkan, malah berpendapat kemasukan warga asing secara sah perlu ditambah bagi menampung keperluan tenaga kerja di semua sektor utama.Presiden Persatuan Pemaju Hartanah dan Perumahan Malaysia (Rehda), Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi, berkata pengambilan pekerja asing bagi sektor pembinaan adalah satu kemestian berikutan sikap rakyat tempatan sendiri yang tidak berminat dengan kerja berat seperti buruh kasar.
Beliau berkata, pandangan negatif rakyat tempatan yang menyifatkan pekerjaan dalam sektor pembinaan sebagai tidak menarik, kotor, bahaya, panas dan memenatkan menyebabkan industri itu terpaksa terus bergantung kepada pekerja luar yang lebih mahir dan produktif.“Rakyat Malaysia terlalu memilih. Nak bekerja hanya dalam suasana selesa dan berhawa dingin serta mesti mempunyai ruang pejabat yang ekslusif. Namun, mereka tidak sedar bahawa bekerja dalam sektor pembinaan kini memberi pendapatan agak tinggi dan mewah.
“Jika mereka mempunyai kemahiran tertentu, tidak mustahil pendapatan yang diperoleh setiap bulan boleh mencecah RM2,000 hingga RM3,000. Apa yang mereka tahu, pekerjaan di sektor pembinaan tidak menjamin masa depan dan sangkaan itu ternyata salah,” katanya.Beliau berkata, sektor pembinaan ketika ini sangat mengharapkan kemahiran daripada pekerja warga Indonesia kerana mereka dikatakan mampu bekerja kuat dan tahan dengan bebanan kerja yang berat.Hakikatnya kata beliau, sektor pembinaan sentiasa memberi peluang kepada pekerja tempatan tetapi sia-sia kerana mereka tidak berminat, malah kebanyakannya hanya berminat untuk melonjak menjadi kontraktor kecil.Justeru, beliau mencadangkan sektor pembinaan menyediakan gaji lebih tinggi seperti diamalkan beberapa negara maju bagi menarik minat di kalangan pekerja tempatan menyertainya, namun perlu diseimbangkan dengan produktiviti yang tinggi.
Presiden Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia, Datuk Roslan Awang Chik, berkata dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9), pelbagai projek pembangunan memerlukan penambahan pekerja asing yang lebih ramai bagi mengimbangi hasrat menjadikan Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara maju.Katanya, walaupun kerajaan bercadang menurunkan kadar kemasukan pekerja asing sebanyak 15 peratus menjelang 2015, hakikatnya tanpa pekerja warga asing, ekonomi Malaysia akan lumpuh dan negara akan sukar untuk maju.
Beliau berkata, Kementerian Sumber Manusia perlu memikirkan pelbagai faktor sebelum melaksanakan pengurangan pekerja asing kerana beberapa sektor seperti pembinaan tidak sesuai untuk pekerja yang berumur 40 hingga 50 tahun, justeru perlu sentiasa ada kemasukan pekerja baru.Presiden Persatuan Pengilang dan Industri Perkhidmatan Bumiputera, Datuk Raja Nong Chik, berkata semua pihak perlu menerima hakikat bahawa kos buruh semakin meningkat sedangkan produktiviti pula semakin berkurangan dalam pelbagai sektor terutama pembuatan di negara ini.Beliau berkata, peningkatan dalam kos membayar gaji menyebabkan wujud persaingan sengit di kalangan pengilang dalam negara dengan luar negara kerana kos buruh pekerja luar negara adalah lebih rendah.
Senario ini menyebabkan banyak kilang terpaksa memberhentikan pekerja tempatan dan beralih kepada pekerja luar yang boleh digajikan secara kontrak berbanding rakyat negara ini yang lebih berminat dengan pekerjaan secara tetap.“Keadaan itu diperkuatkan lagi dengan kenyataan bahawa pekerja luar lebih tinggi produktivitinya berbanding pekerja tempatan, malah mampu bekerja keras walaupun menerima gaji lebih kecil. Justeru, jika negara mahu kekal bersaing sebagai sebuah negara industri, pengambilan pekerja asing adalah satu kemestian,” katanya.Raja berkata, sekiranya kerajaan mahu menambahkan pekerja tempatan dalam sektor pembuatan, ia perlu dipastikan seiring dengan peningkatan produktiviti serta meningkatkan teknologi sedia ada.“Harus diingat, Dubai maju kerana mempunyai ramai buruh asing. Justeru, tidak dapat dinafikan mereka (pekerja asing) amat diperlukan untuk meningkatkan ekonomi negara,” katanya.
Presiden Persatuan Pembantu Rumah Asing Malaysia (Papa), Datuk Raja Zulkepely Dahalan, berkata permintaan terhadap pembantu rumah terutama pekerja dari Indonesia terus meningkat, sedangkan kemasukan pekerja dari negara itu semakin berkurangan akhir-akhir ini.“Secara purata, permintaan untuk pekerja pembantu rumah Indonesia adalah sebanyak 6,000 permohonan setiap bulan sedangkan sejak dua bulan ini pengambilan pembantu rumah dari negara itu hanya seramai 3,000 pekerja sebulan dan situasi ini sememangnya mendatangkan masalah kepada semua pihak.
“Situasi itu turut disebabkan faktor gaji pembantu rumah yang sangat rendah di negara ini, sekali gus mendorong pekerja warga Indonesia lebih suka memilih negara lain yang menjanjikan gaji empat angka berbanding hanya sekitar RM400 hingga RM500 sebulan di negara ini,” katanya.Beliau berkata, walaupun kos awal memohon pembantu rumah agak tinggi iaitu sekitar RM6,500, tetapi permintaan yang diterima setiap agensi semakin meningkat setiap bulan sekali gus membuktikan sektor itu masih memerlukan kemasukan lebih ramai pekerja asing.
Beliau berkata, pandangan negatif rakyat tempatan yang menyifatkan pekerjaan dalam sektor pembinaan sebagai tidak menarik, kotor, bahaya, panas dan memenatkan menyebabkan industri itu terpaksa terus bergantung kepada pekerja luar yang lebih mahir dan produktif.“Rakyat Malaysia terlalu memilih. Nak bekerja hanya dalam suasana selesa dan berhawa dingin serta mesti mempunyai ruang pejabat yang ekslusif. Namun, mereka tidak sedar bahawa bekerja dalam sektor pembinaan kini memberi pendapatan agak tinggi dan mewah.
“Jika mereka mempunyai kemahiran tertentu, tidak mustahil pendapatan yang diperoleh setiap bulan boleh mencecah RM2,000 hingga RM3,000. Apa yang mereka tahu, pekerjaan di sektor pembinaan tidak menjamin masa depan dan sangkaan itu ternyata salah,” katanya.Beliau berkata, sektor pembinaan ketika ini sangat mengharapkan kemahiran daripada pekerja warga Indonesia kerana mereka dikatakan mampu bekerja kuat dan tahan dengan bebanan kerja yang berat.Hakikatnya kata beliau, sektor pembinaan sentiasa memberi peluang kepada pekerja tempatan tetapi sia-sia kerana mereka tidak berminat, malah kebanyakannya hanya berminat untuk melonjak menjadi kontraktor kecil.Justeru, beliau mencadangkan sektor pembinaan menyediakan gaji lebih tinggi seperti diamalkan beberapa negara maju bagi menarik minat di kalangan pekerja tempatan menyertainya, namun perlu diseimbangkan dengan produktiviti yang tinggi.
Presiden Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia, Datuk Roslan Awang Chik, berkata dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9), pelbagai projek pembangunan memerlukan penambahan pekerja asing yang lebih ramai bagi mengimbangi hasrat menjadikan Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara maju.Katanya, walaupun kerajaan bercadang menurunkan kadar kemasukan pekerja asing sebanyak 15 peratus menjelang 2015, hakikatnya tanpa pekerja warga asing, ekonomi Malaysia akan lumpuh dan negara akan sukar untuk maju.
Beliau berkata, Kementerian Sumber Manusia perlu memikirkan pelbagai faktor sebelum melaksanakan pengurangan pekerja asing kerana beberapa sektor seperti pembinaan tidak sesuai untuk pekerja yang berumur 40 hingga 50 tahun, justeru perlu sentiasa ada kemasukan pekerja baru.Presiden Persatuan Pengilang dan Industri Perkhidmatan Bumiputera, Datuk Raja Nong Chik, berkata semua pihak perlu menerima hakikat bahawa kos buruh semakin meningkat sedangkan produktiviti pula semakin berkurangan dalam pelbagai sektor terutama pembuatan di negara ini.Beliau berkata, peningkatan dalam kos membayar gaji menyebabkan wujud persaingan sengit di kalangan pengilang dalam negara dengan luar negara kerana kos buruh pekerja luar negara adalah lebih rendah.
Senario ini menyebabkan banyak kilang terpaksa memberhentikan pekerja tempatan dan beralih kepada pekerja luar yang boleh digajikan secara kontrak berbanding rakyat negara ini yang lebih berminat dengan pekerjaan secara tetap.“Keadaan itu diperkuatkan lagi dengan kenyataan bahawa pekerja luar lebih tinggi produktivitinya berbanding pekerja tempatan, malah mampu bekerja keras walaupun menerima gaji lebih kecil. Justeru, jika negara mahu kekal bersaing sebagai sebuah negara industri, pengambilan pekerja asing adalah satu kemestian,” katanya.Raja berkata, sekiranya kerajaan mahu menambahkan pekerja tempatan dalam sektor pembuatan, ia perlu dipastikan seiring dengan peningkatan produktiviti serta meningkatkan teknologi sedia ada.“Harus diingat, Dubai maju kerana mempunyai ramai buruh asing. Justeru, tidak dapat dinafikan mereka (pekerja asing) amat diperlukan untuk meningkatkan ekonomi negara,” katanya.
Presiden Persatuan Pembantu Rumah Asing Malaysia (Papa), Datuk Raja Zulkepely Dahalan, berkata permintaan terhadap pembantu rumah terutama pekerja dari Indonesia terus meningkat, sedangkan kemasukan pekerja dari negara itu semakin berkurangan akhir-akhir ini.“Secara purata, permintaan untuk pekerja pembantu rumah Indonesia adalah sebanyak 6,000 permohonan setiap bulan sedangkan sejak dua bulan ini pengambilan pembantu rumah dari negara itu hanya seramai 3,000 pekerja sebulan dan situasi ini sememangnya mendatangkan masalah kepada semua pihak.
“Situasi itu turut disebabkan faktor gaji pembantu rumah yang sangat rendah di negara ini, sekali gus mendorong pekerja warga Indonesia lebih suka memilih negara lain yang menjanjikan gaji empat angka berbanding hanya sekitar RM400 hingga RM500 sebulan di negara ini,” katanya.Beliau berkata, walaupun kos awal memohon pembantu rumah agak tinggi iaitu sekitar RM6,500, tetapi permintaan yang diterima setiap agensi semakin meningkat setiap bulan sekali gus membuktikan sektor itu masih memerlukan kemasukan lebih ramai pekerja asing.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Syor latih amah warga tempatan belum sesuai
KUALA LUMPUR: Cadangan kerajaan untuk melatih penduduk tempatan menjadi pembantu rumah bagi menggantikan rakyat asing, masih belum sesuai dilaksanakan di negara ini walaupun ia bertujuan baik.
Presiden Persatuan Agensi Pembantu Rumah Asing Malaysia (Papa), Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan, berkata satu kajian menyeluruh perlu dilaksanakan terlebih dulu sebelum sebarang keputusan mengenainya diambil.Katanya, kajian awal persatuan itu sebelum ini mendapati aspek gaji adalah antara perkara utama perlu diselesaikan awal selain isu sosial lain seperti perkauman, agama atau kerukunan rumah tangga majikan.
“Saya hendak bertanya, berapa ramai majikan di negara sanggup membayar gaji minimum sehingga RM900 sebulan kepada pembantu rumah tempatan, berbanding hanya RM400 bagi tenaga kerja asing ketika ini? “Kalau majikan sanggup, Papa tidak ada masalah menyokong. Bagaimanapun, melihat kepada situasi ketika ini, kebanyakan majikan hanya sanggup membayar antara RM400 hingga RM600 sebulan.
“Bayangkan kalau RM900, berapa ramai yang sanggup? Itu tidak termasuk kos penginapan, perubatan dan makan minum yang lazimnya termasuk dalam pakej pengambilan tenaga kerja ini,” katanya kepada Berita Minggu, semalam.Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas kenyataan Timbalan Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar yang meminta sektor swasta di negara ini mengambil inisiatif menyediakan pusat latihan pembantu rumah untuk warga tempatan.
Bercakap dalam satu majlis di Petaling Jaya, Khamis lalu, beliau dilaporkan berkata kementeriannya sedia menyediakan modul dan tenaga pengajar bagi tujuan itu.Cadangan itu dikemukakan bagi membolehkan rakyat negara ini mengisi keperluan lebih 100,000 pembantu rumah di seluruh negara dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9).Pada ketika ini terdapat kira-kira 310,000 tenaga kerja pembantu rumah asing sedang berkhidmat di negara ini dan lebih 90 peratus daripadanya adalah warga Indonesia.
Raja Zulkepley berkata, pada masa ini, hampir 80 peratus daripada majikan yang berdaftar mendapatkan pembantu rumah dengan agensi di Malaysia adalah berketurunan Cina.“Berdasarkan pengamatan Papa, kebanyakan yang mungkin berminat menyertai kerjaya ini pula adalah keturunan Melayu. Sudah pasti akan timbul pelbagai implikasi negatif jika mereka dihantar kepada majikan yang berlainan agama.“Malah, kebimbangan juga timbul, jika pembantu rumah tempatan yang dilatih ini masih berusia belasan tahun mungkin boleh menyumbang kepada masalah kerukunan rumah tangga majikan selain wujud kes melarikan diri,” katanya.
Bagi membendung masalah kekurangan tenaga kerja ini, Raja Zulkepley mencadangkan supaya Kementerian Sumber Manusia mengadakan kerjasama dengan Kerajaan Indonesia bagi melatih pembantu rumah dari negara berkenaan.Katanya, ketika ini terdapat kesukaran bagi mendapatkan tenaga kerja dari negara itu yang benar-benar terlatih atau memenuhi kehendak majikan dan agensi pembekal.
Friday, June 29, 2007
19 maid agencies risk having licences revoked
Friday June 22, 2007
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
PUTRAJAYA: Nineteen maid agencies risk having their licences revoked if they cannot disprove the allegations and complaints made against them.
Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said their licences had since been suspended and they have until the end of the month to appeal.
The agencies are :
Philipmore Sdn Bhd
Has Sdn Bhd
Sasyaz Sdn Bhd
MNK Sdn Bhd
Uni Tenaga Sdn Bhd
Sri Nadin Sdn Bhd
Indomaid (M) Sdn Bhd
AZ Sdn Bhd
Alaf Baru Sdn Bhd
Speecomaju Sdn Bhd
Princeton Sdn Bhd
Cita Selasih Sdn Bhd
Ibu Sdn Bhd
Ryuji Sdn Bhd
Srikanti Sdn Bhd
Abdullah dan Rakan Sdn Bhd
Sri Anika Sdn Bhd
Advance Advisory (M) Sdn Bhd
Vegah Sdn Bhd.
Mohd Radzi said it was the first time that such strict measures were taken against irresponsible maid agencies.
“For the agencies that come forward to prove the allegations wrong, investigations will be carried out before we can determine their fate.
“But for agents who do not even bother to appeal, we will just revoke their licences and they will no longer be able to operate an agency in future,” he told a press conference.
Mohd Radzi said the agency Kemas Cerah Sdn Bhd had been struck out of the list for sending an Indonesian maid to work with a real estate agent in Sentul when she was supposed to be employed in Kuala Terengganu.
The maid made headlines when she tried to escape from her employer by climbing down from the windows of a condominium unit.
Mohd Radzi said several regulations would be made to govern agencies, employers and maids.
“For a start, we want all of the 400-odd agencies to be members of the Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids (Papa), an association that the ministry recognised,” he added.The ministry has two hotlines, 03-8880 1455 and 03-8880 1399, to deal with employer and maid matters.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Pembantu rumah di Malaysia kelas E
Oleh NORLIZAH ABAS
KUALA LUMPUR 18 Jun – Percayakah anda bahawa Malaysia menjadi ‘tempat lambakan’ pembantu rumah berkualiti rendah atau dikategorikan sebagai kelas ‘E’ - kurang cerdik, tidak menarik, kurang cekap dan gagal berkomunikasi dengan baik.
Sebaliknya, gadis-gadis pembantu rumah yang cantik, bertubuh menarik, boleh berbahasa Inggeris serta membaca dan menulis, dihantar ke negara yang menawarkan gaji lumayan seperti Hong Kong, Singapura, Taiwan dan Timur Tengah.
Presiden Persatuan Agensi Pekerja Asing (PAPA), Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan mendakwa, pekerja-pekerja kelas E itulah yang banyak menimbulkan masalah kepada majikan.
‘‘Mereka inilah yang gagal menyesuaikan diri dengan persekitaran baru dalam tempoh yang singkat sehingga memberi tekanan kepada majikan,’’ katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Menurut beliau, walaupun mereka telah menjalani kursus di pusat latihan di Indonesia selama sebulan diikuti aktiviti suai kenal melibatkan latihan bertutur di sini selama beberapa hari, mereka masih gagal memberikan khidmat terbaik.
‘‘Majikan kerap menghadapi masalah kerana pembantu rumah yang diperoleh gagal melaksanakan tugas dengan baik.
‘‘Ekoran masalah komunikasi dan budaya yang berbeza, lain yang disuruh lain yang dibuat selain mengulangi kesalahan serupa dan akhirnya menimbulkan kemarahan majikan,’’ ujar beliau.
Raja Zulkepley mengulas kejadian dera yang sering menimpa pembantu rumah asing terutama dari Indonesia sehingga ada yang sanggup membahayakan diri untuk melarikan diri.
Kejadian terbaru melibatkan seorang wanita Indonesia berusia dalam lingkungan 30-an dikenali sebagai Samerin yang nekad melarikan diri dari rumah majikannya sejak empat bulan lalu.
Mengulas lanjut, Raja Zulkepley berkata, sehingga kini terdapat sejumlah 320,000 orang pembantu rumah asing - 94.8 peratus daripadanya terdiri daripada rakyat Indonesia, Filipina (6,100 orang) dan bakinya 10,000 orang dari negara-negara lain seperti Sri Lanka dan Kemboja.
Katanya, kira-kira 80 peratus daripada jumlah pembantu rumah Indonesia diambil bekerja oleh majikan berbangsa Cina.
Ujar beliau, hampir kesemua pembantu rumah itu datang dari kawasan yang terpisah dari arus pemodenan menyebabkan mereka menghadapi kejutan budaya.
Katanya, majikan pula mungkin bersikap terlalu mementingkan kesempurnaan atas alasan mereka telah membayar beribu-ribu ringgit untuk mendapatkan pembantu rumah menggunakan saluran yang betul.
Sehubungan itu, Raja Zulkepley meminta majikan bertolak ansur dan memberi masa kepada pembantu rumah masing-masing mengadaptasi diri dengan persekitaran bagi mengelakkan mereka merasakan seolah-olah ‘didera’ sehingga gagal memberi tumpuan kepada tugas harian.
Talks with Indonesia to iron out maid issues
2007/05/16
MOUNTING complaints from local agents about the difficulty in getting Indonesian maids and excessive charges imposed by Indonesian agencies have prompted Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad to meet with his counterpart at the end of the month.
He is also considering a review of some of the rules that favour the agencies. "We have received complaints from agents and employers over charges despite signing a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia last year. The fees have been settled but there still are complaints," he said in the parliament lobby yesterday.Under the MoU, Malaysia and Indonesia have fixed the agent’s fee for each maid at RM2,400. But Malaysian agents are charging more, claiming their Indonesian counterparts were demanding higher fees.Radzi said Indonesian agents were unhappy with their share of the fee and that many were now sending maids to other countries .
On complaints about arrangements which favoured the agency over the employer, Radzi said his ministry was considering reviewing the rules. "Each time a maid runs away, the employer is slapped with a fine and the agency is not culpable for anything. It is time something is done about this. We have to look at penalising the agency too." On average, 1,200 maids run away from their employers each month. Earlier, Radzi told the Dewan Negara that up to the end of last month, 68,138 Indonesian maids had fled the homes of their employers.The government is now considering allowing the recruitment of maids from India, Laos, Nepal, Vietnam, Timor Leste, Kazakhstan and Turkistan.To a suggestion by Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain that formal training be provided to improve the quality of the maids, Radzi said the idea was good but it would only increase the cost for a maid.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
PAPA : Most runaway maids mistreated
Wednesday May 23, 2007
BY SHAHANAAZ HABIB
KUALA LUMPUR: Between 80% and 85% of foreign maids who run away do so because their employers mistreat them, according to Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies (Papa).
Its president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan said employers make the maids wash their cars, their dogs, do too many things and work for too long hours, so much so that they could not take it any more.“And so they run away,” he said in an interview.
Raja Zulkepley also said employers should be penalised for their runaway maids and not the agents.“It’s like a marriage,” he said. “If a kadi solemnises a marriage between a man and a woman, would you blame the kadi if the marriage fails? It is up to the two parties involved to work things out.”
His statement contrasted sharply with the one made by Associationof Private Employment Agencies (Pikaps) president Datuk Abdul Baharom Ghani who reportedly claimed that 99% of maids who ran away had lovers in Malaysia and had planned their escape even before coming into the country.
Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said recently that an average of 1,000 maids a month ran away from their employers, based on current figures.He said there were also reports that some agents were working in cahoots with maids, encouraging them to run away from employers after the replacement period of three months was over.
This way, each maid can be “recycled” about four times a year and the unscrupulous agencies can make RM20,000 annually from each maid.Raja Zulkepley said about 100 of the 345 agencies registered to bring in foreign maids were under Papa and they were not involved in persuading maids to run away.
“So it is not right to blame Papa for the runaways. Any move to penalise agents for runaway maids should be done very carefully as we have found that most cases are due to the faults of employers,” he said.
He added that because Malaysia offered very low wages for Indonesian maids, averaging about RM500 a month, naturally it only got class “E” or low quality maids.
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