Indonesia to Ratify UN’s Convention on Migrant Rights Within 2 Years: Minister

December 02, 2009 

Anita Rachman

Indonesia will ratify the UN convention protecting migrant workers within two years, Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar announced on Tuesday.

He said the government, which has delayed ratification of the 1990 convention despite having signed it in September 2004, was preparing the necessary regulations.

“Ratifying the convention means that Indonesia needs to ensure freedom of establishing labor organizations, insurance and legal aid for Indonesian migrant workers overseas,” Muhaimin said.

“We are working on this. I can see that we will finish preparations on the regulations and budget within one or two years.”

He added that his office needed to coordinate effectively with a number of other ministries over the matter, including the finance, foreign affairs and justice ministries.

Indonesia’s continued delay in approving the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, has been slammed by rights organizations nationwide.

They have pointed out that ratification was crucial since the country had been sending workers overseas since the 1980s.

Wahyu Susilo, a public policy analyst for the advocacy group Migrant Care, stated that “one or two years” was too long, considering that many of the six million Indonesian migrant workers were experiencing physical, sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of their employers.

Ratification would provide a legal basis for migrant workers in settling disputes with employers and ensuring that their rights, including on matters of leave, working hours and pay, be met.

“The government needs to ratify it soon. It will really help our migrant workers overseas,” Wahyu said.

A group of nongovernmental organizations had previously called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s cabinet to ratify the convention within the first 100 days of his new administration.

The People’s Alliance for the 1990 Migrant Convention Ratification has argued that the measure would emphasize migrant workers’ rights, including deportation for workers facing problems overseas and the right to retain their own documents, including passports. The group criticized the Manpower Ministry over the sluggish pace ofz ratification.

“All [14] destination countries [of our migrant workers] have not ratified the convention. But this was not the main reason for not ratifying the convention until today,” Muhaimin said. “We need to prepare the regulations.”

According to the People’s Alliance, 42 countries had already ratified the convention, including Congo, Uruguay, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The alliance added that destination countries expected the countries sending workers abroad, including Indonesia, to show their commitment in protecting their workers, since talks over salary standards and protection of rights should normally be initiated by the country sending the workers abroad.

Wahyu said that the government should have fought for both the domestic law and the UN Convention at the same time.

He was referring to the House of Representatives’s decision last month to draft a bill to provide better placement and protection for Indonesian workers overseas.

Source:  JakartaGlobe

http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia-to-ratify-uns-convention-on-migrant-rights-within-2-years-minister/345004

Indonesia Ratifikasi Konvensi soal Buruh

Rabu, 2 Desember 2009 | 02:54 WIB

Jakarta, Kompas - Indonesia siap meratifikasi konvensi internasional tentang perlindungan hak buruh migran dan keluarganya saat negara lain juga melakukan hal serupa. Buruh migran akan mendapat perlindungan yang ideal saat negara asal dan tujuan sudah sama-sama meratifikasi konvensi internasional 1990.

”Pemerintah sudah menandatangani ketika konvensi dideklarasikan. Tetapi, ratifikasi kami putuskan dilakukan secara bertahap,” kata Menteri Tenaga Kerja dan Transmigrasi Muhaimin Iskandar dalam seminar tentang buruh di Jakarta, Selasa (1/12).

Muhaimin meminta semua pihak bersabar karena pemerintah pada prinsipnya mendukung. Namun, ujar Muhaimin, pemerintah harus mengkaji, menggali, dan mematangkan infrastruktur yang harus disediakan, termasuk program yang menjadi kewajiban bila konvensi diratifikasi.

Muhaimin mencontohkan, salah satu konsekuensi meratifikasi konvensi tersebut adalah pekerja asing boleh mendirikan serikat pekerja di Indonesia. ”Kalau (Indonesia) betul-betul siap, baru diratifikasi,” ujar Muhaimin.

Sampai saat ini, Malaysia dan negara-negara di Timur Tengah belum meratifikasi konvensi perlindungan buruh migran dan keluarga.

Konvensi itu dideklarasikan di New York 18 Desember 1990 dan diberlakukan sebagai hukum internasional sejak 1 Juli 2003.

Nota kesepahaman

Sebagai anggota PBB, Indonesia telah menandatangani konvensi ini pada 22 September 2004. Namun, langkah itu belum berarti meratifikasi konvensi.

Indonesia sendiri selama ini menempatkan dan melindungi TKI dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 39 Tahun 2004. Pemerintah juga membuat nota kesepahaman khusus untuk melindungi TKI di luar negeri dengan pemerintah setempat.

Secara terpisah, anggota Komisi IX DPR dari Fraksi PDI-P, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, meminta pemerintah segera meratifikasi konvensi perlindungan buruh migran dan keluarga. Menurut Diah, konvensi itu dapat menjadi payung untuk menyusun regulasi perlindungan bagi TKI.

Kalangan aktivis buruh migran juga terus mendesak pemerintah agar segera meratifikasi konvensi tersebut. Direktur Eksekutif Migrant CARE, yang aktif membela hak buruh migran Indonesia, Anis Hidayah mengatakan, ratifikasi konvensi perlindungan buruh migran dan keluarga harus menjadi prioritas pemerintah demi melindungi TKI di luar negeri. (Ham)

Sumber: KOMPAS

http://cetak.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/12/02/02545434/indonesia.ratifikasi.konvensi.soal.buruh.