(The Article previously delivered in ILO Workshop of Current Trend of Recruitment Indonesian Workers – 15 October 2009)
3 days Workshop held by ILO in Malang, 14-16 October 2009, to discuss current trend of Recruitment of Indonesian Workers and to identify barriers and challenges of all stakeholders involved, PPTKIS, NGO, Government Officials, Recruiters and many others, looking for the underlying issues.
Barriers in Recruitment
In Binamandiri perspective as Indonesian Recruitment Agency (PPTKIS), it is sadly to say that the biggest barrier is actually comes from Indonesian Government itself.
At least there are 7 (seven) things that makes Indonesian Government becomes the biggest barrier, thus are
1. Conflict between Depnakertrans and BNP2TKI
It already becomes despicable scene the open long conflict between Depnakertrans and BNP2TKI, not only shameful scenery that public think about power and money dispute, but also creates uncertainty in law, regulation and procedure in grass root. Not even SBY and Supreme Court can settle the dispute, although Supreme Court decision was favour to BNP2TKI, Depnakertrans still managed to create new Ministry Decree to continue the dispute.
2. Lack of Inter-Department Coordination
Not enough with problems created by the dispute by two Government institutions responsible for Placement of Indonesian Workers Overseas, it is also worsen by lack of coordination between those two Institutions with other stake holder Departments such as Department of Foreign Affair, Department of Health, Immigration, etc. It is often happens that between Departments do not trust the legal product issued by each government institution, and they tend to avoid interaction between departments. An experience case, when Binamandiri with many local regulations before PPTKIS can recruit the candidates from its region. wanted to apply Recruitment Letter for Canada Placement, Depnaker asked for Binamandiri to call Indonesia Consulate in Toronto rather than they use official letter and send by fax to confirm the validation of embassy letter.
3. Application of Regional Autonomy
The application of Regional Autonomy to Province and Region Government brought many additional problems toward recruitment of Indonesian workers. Although PPTKIS already license nationally, unfortunately because of Regional Autonomy, many province and regional governments, are burdening PPTKIS More often the local regulations are ridiculous and tend to prosper the illegal practices by Sponsor or Calo or whatever the terms is. For example in Banyuwangi, Jember, Kediri, PPTKIS cannot recruit on those area unless PPTKIS willing to set up UP3TKI (such small branch office) where the managers are the Calo or Sponsor, and under UP3TKI, they are legalize. UP3TKI can be considered illegal terminology as the law only mentions that the subjects of Placement are only Government and PPTKIS.
4. Poor Law Enforcement
It is typical of Indonesian Law Enforcement that still full of corruption and collusion. There are many cases of tormenting and neglecting Indonesian workers overseas that involve PPTKIS from the recent 78 female workers stranded for 3 days without food and money in Changi Airport on the way to Saudi Arabia, because the company until the common problems of underage workers, fabricated placement documents and inhuman accommodation and meal on Training Center, but yet from Binamandiri recollection, none of any PPTKIS license has been revoked due such actions
5. Lack and incompetent Officials
Many officials either in Central Government or in Local Government who responsible in Placement of Indonesian workers overseas are mostly never had any training about his/her duty. They comes from various background on previous department: sucah as department of agriculture, Underhead Subdistrict (camat), department of education, department of transportation and many others which not even close to handle workers. While the original officials of Department of Manpower who already has the experience and training, are also being transferred to other unrelated department. Beside need time to catch up with issues about placement, mostly lack of experience and create blunder in Department of Manpower.
6. Complicated procedure
Approximately there are 18 desks or offices or for PPTKIS to go through from recruitment until placement which previously were 22 offices claimed Erman Soeparno.
7. No POLITICAL WILL
Last but not least is NO POLITICAL WILL from the government. Placement of Indonesian workers overseas has started since 1970s until now, almost 40 years. Indonesian government actually can identify the problems, find the causes and look for the solutions but yet the problems getting bigger every year. Indonesia can reflect to Philippines where the can manage overseas placement very well, Why Philippines can do it but Indonesia cannot. It is required POLITICAL WILL.
Because of the 7 matters from the Indonesian government, it reflects towards PPTKIS. Public or candidates who want to work overseas think that to work overseas through Indonesian Manpower Agencies (PPTKIS) will be difficult, time and money consumptive, full of extortion, unsafe and many other bad images. That’s why the illegal placement getting higher every year.
The statistic survey held by NGO, informs that candidates for overseas placement get the information about procedure to work overseas from : Brooker/Calo/Sponsor (86%), Family (6%), Neighbor (6%) and Government/PPTKIS (2%). The statistic shows that Indonesian government doesn’t do his job very well to provide information about working overseas, so it is not the workers fault if they are stranded in illegal placement due to their incomprehension.
Beside from Indonesian Government, barrier also comes from News Media, due to unbalance report about Indonesian workers overseas. Media tends to blow up the misfortune incidents happens with Indonesia workers overseas who mostly using illegal procedure, where information about many success overseas workers are only very little. Thus create generalization that working overseas will always end up in sad and miserable story
Challenges in Recruitment
Beside barriers there are also challenges in recruitment, thus are :
Binamandiri gave suggestion as part of the solution that hopefully can be a starting point to reform the National programs of placement of Indonesian workers.
Barriers in Recruitment
In Binamandiri perspective as Indonesian Recruitment Agency (PPTKIS), it is sadly to say that the biggest barrier is actually comes from Indonesian Government itself.
At least there are 7 (seven) things that makes Indonesian Government becomes the biggest barrier, thus are
1. Conflict between Depnakertrans and BNP2TKI
It already becomes despicable scene the open long conflict between Depnakertrans and BNP2TKI, not only shameful scenery that public think about power and money dispute, but also creates uncertainty in law, regulation and procedure in grass root. Not even SBY and Supreme Court can settle the dispute, although Supreme Court decision was favour to BNP2TKI, Depnakertrans still managed to create new Ministry Decree to continue the dispute.
2. Lack of Inter-Department Coordination
Not enough with problems created by the dispute by two Government institutions responsible for Placement of Indonesian Workers Overseas, it is also worsen by lack of coordination between those two Institutions with other stake holder Departments such as Department of Foreign Affair, Department of Health, Immigration, etc. It is often happens that between Departments do not trust the legal product issued by each government institution, and they tend to avoid interaction between departments. An experience case, when Binamandiri with many local regulations before PPTKIS can recruit the candidates from its region. wanted to apply Recruitment Letter for Canada Placement, Depnaker asked for Binamandiri to call Indonesia Consulate in Toronto rather than they use official letter and send by fax to confirm the validation of embassy letter.
3. Application of Regional Autonomy
The application of Regional Autonomy to Province and Region Government brought many additional problems toward recruitment of Indonesian workers. Although PPTKIS already license nationally, unfortunately because of Regional Autonomy, many province and regional governments, are burdening PPTKIS More often the local regulations are ridiculous and tend to prosper the illegal practices by Sponsor or Calo or whatever the terms is. For example in Banyuwangi, Jember, Kediri, PPTKIS cannot recruit on those area unless PPTKIS willing to set up UP3TKI (such small branch office) where the managers are the Calo or Sponsor, and under UP3TKI, they are legalize. UP3TKI can be considered illegal terminology as the law only mentions that the subjects of Placement are only Government and PPTKIS.
4. Poor Law Enforcement
It is typical of Indonesian Law Enforcement that still full of corruption and collusion. There are many cases of tormenting and neglecting Indonesian workers overseas that involve PPTKIS from the recent 78 female workers stranded for 3 days without food and money in Changi Airport on the way to Saudi Arabia, because the company until the common problems of underage workers, fabricated placement documents and inhuman accommodation and meal on Training Center, but yet from Binamandiri recollection, none of any PPTKIS license has been revoked due such actions
5. Lack and incompetent Officials
Many officials either in Central Government or in Local Government who responsible in Placement of Indonesian workers overseas are mostly never had any training about his/her duty. They comes from various background on previous department: sucah as department of agriculture, Underhead Subdistrict (camat), department of education, department of transportation and many others which not even close to handle workers. While the original officials of Department of Manpower who already has the experience and training, are also being transferred to other unrelated department. Beside need time to catch up with issues about placement, mostly lack of experience and create blunder in Department of Manpower.
6. Complicated procedure
Approximately there are 18 desks or offices or for PPTKIS to go through from recruitment until placement which previously were 22 offices claimed Erman Soeparno.
7. No POLITICAL WILL
Last but not least is NO POLITICAL WILL from the government. Placement of Indonesian workers overseas has started since 1970s until now, almost 40 years. Indonesian government actually can identify the problems, find the causes and look for the solutions but yet the problems getting bigger every year. Indonesia can reflect to Philippines where the can manage overseas placement very well, Why Philippines can do it but Indonesia cannot. It is required POLITICAL WILL.
Because of the 7 matters from the Indonesian government, it reflects towards PPTKIS. Public or candidates who want to work overseas think that to work overseas through Indonesian Manpower Agencies (PPTKIS) will be difficult, time and money consumptive, full of extortion, unsafe and many other bad images. That’s why the illegal placement getting higher every year.
The statistic survey held by NGO, informs that candidates for overseas placement get the information about procedure to work overseas from : Brooker/Calo/Sponsor (86%), Family (6%), Neighbor (6%) and Government/PPTKIS (2%). The statistic shows that Indonesian government doesn’t do his job very well to provide information about working overseas, so it is not the workers fault if they are stranded in illegal placement due to their incomprehension.
Beside from Indonesian Government, barrier also comes from News Media, due to unbalance report about Indonesian workers overseas. Media tends to blow up the misfortune incidents happens with Indonesia workers overseas who mostly using illegal procedure, where information about many success overseas workers are only very little. Thus create generalization that working overseas will always end up in sad and miserable story
Challenges in Recruitment
Beside barriers there are also challenges in recruitment, thus are :
- Overseas demands are increasing every time and the jobs become for specific, it is a big challenge to seek appropriate candidates. There are a big need to create courses and profession school for specific job so that fresh graduates can have soft skill to take the demand from overseas
- Lack of English or Foreign language always an issues that we always lose the competition with the Philippines
- Competition among nations is getting tighter. Now new competitors have emerge, where previously only Philippines, now China, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan are the new competitors
- Lack of fund from the candidates. Indonesian Banking system is not favour to Indonesian workers, although they have support income for Indonesian banks from remittance, 10 trillion Rupiah each year. So difficult access to bank loan to arrange for the placement expenses, sometimes become problem for the candidates, it is a challenge for Binamandiri to provide access to bank loan with the guarantee of their job order.
Binamandiri gave suggestion as part of the solution that hopefully can be a starting point to reform the National programs of placement of Indonesian workers.
- Firstly, there is an urgent need to revise Ordinance No.39/2004 to be more comprehensive.
- Secondly, Indonesian Government must create strong and firm law enforcement to uphold all laws and a procedure referring to placement of workers overseas as it is related to other countries business which eventually can create problems towards destination countries.
- Thirdly, Establishing Online System will cut time, cost, and obviously problems, and it is also will be more transparent, accountable and controllable
- The last and most important suggestion, it is advised that education about working overseas should be applied as early as possible such as Philippines. So that, since early time, candidates can set their objectives after their graduate from school, understand the procedure to work overseas and surely understand about the rights and duty.
