Demand for RM800 maid salary not feasible, say groups

PETALING JAYA: Indonesia’s demand that its maids be paid a minimum RM800 monthly salary has hit a raw nerve among Malaysians.

“Not all of us are getting a four-figure pay packet . Wait for us to progress, then such a request can be deemed feasible,’’ Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Kedah chapter chairman Pishol Ishak said.

He said many Matta members could not afford to pay RM800 monthly to their general workers, what more a similar sum for foreign maids.

Calling for rationalization, he said: “As much as we value the role played by maids, particularly from Indonesia, the salary expectation must be in tandem with the earning power of Malaysians too.”

Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar has been quoted in press reports as saying that the republic is pressing for the minimum wage following cases of maid abuse by Malaysian employers.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam is expected to comment on the issue today.

It is estimated that 294,115 Indonesian maids are working throughout the country currently.

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers northern region chairman, Datuk O.K. Lee, said manufacturers would be worried if the Government agreed to such a minimum wage as some local workers earned less than that.

‘‘It would cause anger among the workers. We have to find a balance. Such a move is not advisable at this juncture due to the (global economic slump),’’ Lee said.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun asked whether employers could still afford to hire Indonesian maids if they had to pay that sum.

“Also, will the increase in pay lead to better service from the maids ???”

Chew suggested that households opt for other alternatives like engaging local or part-time maids to only work on certain days.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said there should not be a dependency on foreign labour, including that of maids.In a press statement, she suggested that the private sector, NGOs and individuals provide assistance in building more childcare and daycare centres to help families care for their children.

Insurance planning manager Looi Kok Cheong, who has had a maid for 15 years, said:

“It (RM800) will be a big jump from what we are paying now. It will be better if this increase is done gradually and not in one go.”

Letters:
Maids’ salary rising but quality dropping

Earlier Stories:
Indonesia is asking RM800 wage for maids
Indonesian maids get a rest day a week

Terlalu mahal dan tidak setanding – PAPA

KUALA LUMPUR 5 Sept. – Cadangan gaji minimum RM800 untuk pembantu rumah Indonesia terlalu mahal dan tidak setanding dengan kualiti perkhidmatan yang diberikan.
Presiden Persatuan Agensi Pembantu Rumah Asing Malaysia (PAPA), Zulkepley Dahalan berkata, ia juga hanya akan membebankan majikan.
Sehubungan itu, beliau mencadangkan supaya gaji pembantu rumah tersebut ditetapkan mengikut pasaran semasa.
“Keadaan kita berbeza dengan negara-negara lain. Mereka sudah diberi cuti satu hari seminggu. Jika diminta bekerja pada hari cuti majikan kena membayar mereka berganda,’’ kata beliau ketika dihubungi Mingguan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Beliau berkata, demikian sebagai mengulas laporan sebuah akhbar berbahasa Inggeris tempatan yang menyebut Kerajaan Indonesia minta gaji minimum RM800 sebulan dibayar kepada pembantu-pembantu rumah yang bekerja di Malaysia.
Perkara itu dinyatakan dalam mesyuarat dua hala Malaysia dan Indonesia yang diadakan di Jakarta, Jumaat lalu.
Laporan tersebut memetik berita yang disiarkan dalam portal berita Indonesia Kompas online yang melaporkan Duta Indonesia ke Malaysia, Da’i Bachtiar berkata demikian dalam majlis berbuka puasa bersama 400 pekerja asing Indonesia di pejabat beliau di sini Khamis lalu.
Mengulas lanjut, Zulkepley mengharapkan kadar gaji itu dikaji semula demi kebaikan kedua-dua belah pihak.
Jelas beliau, rata-rata gaji minimum pembantu rumah Indonesia di negara ini ialah RM450 hingga RM600 sebulan.
“PAPA sedang meneliti perkembangan isu itu. Terpulang kepada kerajaan bagaimana mahu menyelesaikan masalah tersebut.
“Isu gaji cuma salah satu isu sahaja. Banyak lagi isu berkaitan dengan pembantu rumah asing di negara ini, contohnya pembantu rumah lari dan sebagainya,’’ kata beliau.
Dalam pada itu, beliau menyarankan supaya diadakan kempen khas supaya majikan tidak mengambil pembantu rumah yang pernah lari daripada majikan mereka yang lain.
Katanya, kempen yang dinamakan ‘Tak Nak Pembantu Rumah Yang Lari’ sangat perlu kerana sudah menjadi masalah yang membebankan banyak pihak sejak kebelakangan ini.

Indonesian maids in Malaysia to have weekly day off

KUALA LUMPUR — Indonesian maids working in Malaysia will be given one day off a week and be allowed to hold onto their passports, the home ministry said Thursday, in a new deal triggered by a string of abuse case.
Indonesia imposed a ban on sending maids to work here in June, after a 43-year-old Malaysian woman was charged with causing grievous bodily harm by beating her Indonesian maid and scalding her with boiling water.
Malaysia's Home Ministry said in a statement that the new terms were agreed by senior Malaysian and Indonesian officials who met in August.
"The meeting has agreed that Indonesian maids will be allowed to keep their passport when they are working in this country," it said.
Currently, employers typically hold onto maids' passports, to prevent them running away or to exercise control over them.
"The Indonesian maids also will be given one day off a week," it added.
The ministry said the committee thrashing out the new working conditions will hold a fourth meeting in Jakarta this Saturday, which will tackle the hotly debated topic of maids' wages.
The issue of wages has remained unresolved despite talks that have been held intermittently since 2007.
Malaysia -- one of Asia's largest importers of labour -- depends heavily on domestic workers, mainly from Indonesia, but has no laws governing their working conditions.
The government in May announced plans for new laws to protect domestic workers from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor working conditions.
Currently Indonesian maids typically work seven days a week for as little as 400 ringgit (113 dollars).