Malaysia: Indonesia's proposed salary increase too high

Malaysia's Human Resource Minister Richard Riot Jaem said that Indonesia's proposal to raise the salary for domestic maids to RM1,200 is too high compared with the RM900 minimum salary fixed in Malaysia.

The minister said in a statement carried by Bernama news agency that the Malaysian government was waiting for feedback from the Indonesian government after it had sought detailed justification in writing on the matter.

"The government will hold discussion sessions with the employers' associations, workers unions and employment agencies in Malaysia on the proposal before deciding on the consideration and direction of its (proposed salary increase) implementation," the minister said, quoted by Bernama.

According to the statement, the proposal on the salary increase for Indonesian domestic maids from RM700 to RM1,200 had been submitted on May 13 by the Indonesian government at the meeting of the joint working group between Malaysia and Indonesia in Putrajaya.

The Indonesian government felt that the proposal would make the services of domestic maids in Malaysia more competitive compared with the salaries offered by other countries.

It would also attract the interest of more domestic maids from Indonesia to choose Malaysia as their job destination, the government said.