Indonesia, Malaysia reach agreement on migrant workers' rights

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have reached an agreement guaranteeing the safety and welfare of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI), local media reported here on Friday. The agreement includes employment contracts, standards and methods of payment, weekly holidays, secure passport storage, recruitment agency regulations, recruitment cost structure, training, conflict mediation and journey performed visas. "We reached the agreement during the ASEAN Summit meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali," Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said on Thursday, adding that the moratorium on workers for domestic affairs would be revoked on Dec. 1. He added that both governments had also formed a joint task force that would execute regular evaluations and monitoring to ensure the implementation of the agreement. The task force will have headquarters in both countries, the Jakarta Post reported. Muhaimin said the agreement would soon be made public, particularly for related agencies to punish future violations against migrant workers.