Jakarta – Sixty-eight migrant workers have actually fallen victim to overcharging by 24 Indonesian migrant worker placement companies, the Migrant Employee Protection Company (BP2MI) has informed.
” Total of reports, there are 68 migrant employees from 24 migrant worker positioning companies,” Head of BP2MI Benny Rhamdani stated at an interview here on Friday.
The migrant workers were overcharged by companies and their personal files were kept, he added.
” The losses suffered by the 68 migrant workers vary. Some lost Rp25 million (US$ 1,673), some even lost approximately Rp40 million (US$ 2,676),” he informed.
He explained that this took place regardless of his administration releasing BP2MI Regulation Number 1 of 2021 about changes to BP2MI Regulation Number 9 of 2020 about the positioning of migrant employees totally free of charge.
According to the regulation, the placement of workers participating in 10 kinds of jobs prone to exploitation is complimentary of charge, he stated.
The jobs are those of house maid, babysitter, nanny, elderly caregiver, chef, household chauffeur, gardener, cleaning up service, plantation staff, and ship team, he described.
He stated the agency will take firm action against business caught overcharging migrant workers, particularly in Hong Kong, by revoking their business authorizations.
” BP2MI offers 2 weeks starting from today (June 16, 2023) for the migrant employee positioning business to solve the problem,” he added.
Rhamdani also stated that the agency will send a recommendation letter to the Manpower Minister for withdrawing the business’ permit to run their service or place migrant employees if, within two weeks, the issue of overcharging is not solved.
” BP2MI will also report this case as a crime to the National Authorities,” he added.
He stated he anticipated that comparable occurrences would not take place to other migrant employees, considering they are the biggest source of foreign exchange.
” I want the migrant employees to have the guts to report. We encourage them; do not hesitate of reporting,” he worried.
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