How Malaysia Still Sees Indonesian Maids

KUALA SELANGOR, KOMPAS.com - The government has yet to decide on the RM600 (US$190) minimum wage for Indonesian maids as claimed by the Indonesian embassy here, said Human Resources Minister Dr S. Subramaniam.  He said the minimum wage as claimed by the embassy was neither with the approval of the ministry nor the Home Ministry.

"I don’t know whether the Indonesian embassy fixed the minimum wage on their own accord or not but from what we have agreed, the minimum wage for foreign maids will be determined by the market forces based on supply and demand.        "Hence, what the embassy was doing now is beyond our knowledge and we will find out what really happened," he told reporters after attending a Malaysia programme organised by the Special Cabinet Committee for Indian Community, in Ijok, here Sunday.

He was commenting on complaints lodged by several employers that they had to agree to pay a minimum wage of RM600 to Indonesian maids as a condition to renew passports of maids. The matter was alleged to have been announced by the Indonesian embassy through its intercom system when the employers were accompanying their maids to renew their passports, at the embassy.       The employers claimed that the embassy also informed them that the agreement pertaining to the minimum wage for the maids had been signed by the Malaysian government and took effect last month.       Subramaniam, however, said both countries were still negotiating the issue to find a mutually-beneficial arrangement for the maids and their employers. Prior to this, the minister announced that Malaysia had to say no to the Indonesian government’s demand for a RM800 (US$253) minimum wage as Malaysia does not have a minimum wage structure.