Indonesian maid minimum wage ‘unacceptable’—Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia said Sunday it could not accept an Indonesian proposal on a minimum wage for its maids amid delays on a working conditions deal following a series of shocking abuse cases.

Both countries have been working on a deal for maids after a flood of complaints of mistreatment of domestic workers strained ties between Malaysia and Indonesia, leading Jakarta last June to ban maids from working there.

Human resources minister S. Subramaniam told AFP his country would not agree to an Indonesian minimum wage plan of 800 ringgit ($254) a month for maids who are currently paid between 300 to 400 ringgit monthly.

“The proposal is unacceptable as Malaysia does not have a minimum wage structure and we feel that wages should be based on market forces,” he said.

“It is unfair to set a minimum wage for domestic workers from Indonesia if it is not done across the board for other industries also,” he added.

“If the maids have attended courses and have more skills, they can definitely demand a greater salary but we will not set a minimum salary.”

Subramaniam said talks were ongoing between the two governments despite delays in reaching an agreement that was supposed to have been inked last month.

“The talks are still ongoing and both sides will have to make counter-proposals before any agreement is reached,” he said.

“We will come out with a deal as soon as we can reach an agreement on the outstanding issues.”

In May, Premier Najib Razak said both sides still had to agree on a minimum wage after talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The two countries previously signed an agreement that would give maids one day off a week and ensure they can keep their passports while in service.

Malaysia is one of Asia’s largest importers of labor and depends heavily on domestic workers, who come mainly from Indonesia, but it has no laws governing their working conditions.

An average of 50 abuse cases is reported annually among the 300,000 Indonesian maids working in the country, according to Malaysian officials. But Indonesia says 1,000 maids face violence and mistreatment every year. –Agence France-Presse