Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah. (Photo courtesy of the Manpower Ministry)
JUNE 27, 2020
Jakarta. Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah met Qatar’s ambassador to Indonesia, Fawziya Edrees Salman Al-Sulaiti, on Friday to ask the Qatar government to start offering better protection and welfare for Indonesian migrant workers and hire more of them for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ida said all Indonesian migrant workers in Qatar should be hired according to Indonesian regulations.
“The regulations adhere to the 2017 Law on migrant worker protection,” Ida said.
Ida also asked the Qatar government to provide more job opportunities for the migrant workers, including by hiring them during the preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“We hope the Qatar government would also consider hiring young workers from our vocational training centers [BLK],” Ida said.
New Regulation, Better Protection
The ministry had issued a new regulation to offer more protections for migrant workers in Qatar – mainly drivers, gardeners and domestic workers – back in January.
The Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar Muhamad Basri Sidehabi said the new rules make ten-hour working days and one day off a week mandatory.
“The new regulation is expected to give more protection for migrant workers in Qatar, most of whom were left with scant protection in the past,” Basri said at that time.
The 2017 Law on migrant worker protection says among others that migrant workers must be provided with full and accurate information regarding their placement in the destination country and also legal aid when they run into trouble with the law.
A previous version of the law, issued in 2004, was heavily criticized for offering no protection for migrant workers who face unfair treatment, excessive workload and criminal charges overseas.
The Qatar government is said to be revising its own regulation on migrant workers. More than 27,000 Indonesian migrant workers are thought to be based in the country.
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