Have The Heart! 14 Years Of Work, ART From Bekasi Only Get Paid Rp36 Million, Should Have Been Rp670 Million

The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah held an Integrated Service activity from 27-28 August 2021 in Khamis Musheit, Saudi Arabia. (ANTARA/HO-KJRI Jeddah)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Jeddah managed to secure the wages of an Indonesian migrant worker (PMI) who had not been paid by his service users of around Rp. 670 million.

This case was revealed on the sidelines of the implementation of the Integrated Service which was carried out on 27-28 August 2021 at Thursday Musheit.

The female worker with the initials AIO, reported by Antara, admitted to the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah that she had worked for 14 years in Abha City. However, AIO only received 9,600 riyals (approximately IDR 36.76 million) for working.

When applying for a replacement passport, the officer found something odd because the woman from Bekasi had put her signature and fingerprint as proof that her salary had been paid in full.

Feeling suspicious, the officer finally asked when the payment sheet was signed.

The woman who works as a household assistant (ART) admitted that she did it some time before visiting the Integrated Service location.

Finally, the employer is called upon to explain the facts and complete his family obligations to pay the remaining salary of the migrant worker.

Finally, AIO's employer relented and admitted his mistake. The man who is said to be a soldier is also willing to make a statement that he will immediately pay off the rest of his household member's salary.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah immediately contacted the BNI representative in Saudi Arabia to immediately issue a personal account in the name of AIO.

Indonesian Consul General (Consul General) Jeddah Eko Hartono said that the level of education and innocence of Indonesian migrant workers, especially those working in the domestic sector, were often exploited by irresponsible service users.

"In handling salary disputes, the position of the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah becomes weak if the migrant workers have signed or affixed their fingerprints on the payment sheet," said Consul General Eko Hartono who directly led the implementation of Integrated Services in the city, which is about 700 kilometers from Jeddah.

"Thank God the employer is honest and willing to admit it. If not, PMI will lose their rights. Talk about law, talk about evidence," he continued.

On this occasion, the Integrated Services Team of the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah also succeeded in seeking to increase wages for 13 PMIs who had worked for many years as household members and were still under-paid.

The increase in the value of wages was successfully fought for after tough negotiations with employers.

The agreement is then strengthened in a work agreement in two languages - Indonesian and Arabic - which is signed by the employer and the PMIs. The standard salary for ART in Saudi Arabia is around IDR 5.7 million per month.

On the sidelines of the integrated service activities, the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah also distributed COVID-19 assistance in the form of 15 basic food packages to PMIs who lost their jobs, were not paid or experienced a salary reduction due to being laid off after being tested positive for COVID-19.