Amman: Indonesia says it will resume sending domestic helpers to Jordan, ending a near two-month ban imposed after reports that workers were abused in the kingdom, Jordan’s labour minister said.
The Indonesian government said it would allow, from October 7, domestic helpers to be recruited for Jordan once again, Minister Samir Murad was quoted by the Jordanian press as saying.
The ban was lifted following an Indonesian delegation’s visit to Jordan to discuss the recruitment and treatment of domestic helpers.
Murad was quoted on Thursday as saying: "Jordan is committed to implementing all standards mentioned in international agreements relating to labourers’ rights which the government has signed."
Indonesian and Jordanian officials agreed that the Indonesian government would compensate Jordanian employers if workers refused to fulfill their contracts or were found to be incompetent and unable to perform their duties.
The Indonesian decision to resume sending helpers to Jordan followed a ban imposed in July after the Indonesian press reported the abuse of domestic workers in Jordan.
A total of 238 Indonesian workers had reportedly lodged complaints and sought refuge at their country’s embassy in Amman.
The Jordanian labour ministry formed an ad hoc committee to resolve problems among Indonesian and other Asian workers.
The Jordanian minister said 140 Philippine and 70 Sri Lankan domestic workers had also refused to work for their employers due to alleged abuse, unpaid salaries, or an accumulation of fines due to their expired residency permit.
“So far, the committee has resolved the cases of 124 helpers: 70 Indonesian, 15 Sri Lankan and 41 Filipinas,” Murad said.
The committee would continue until all the workers’ problems were resolved, he said.
The labour ministry had directed the interior ministry to exempt workers from fines for expired residency permits, to assist with their travel plans, he said.
Murad added that the Jordanian government was still waiting to receive official word that the Philippines had lifted a ban on sending Filipina domestic helpers to Jordan.
Discussions were still under way with the Sri Lankan embassy regarding domestic helpers being sent to the kingdom, he said.
According to official figures, there are 48,967 domestic helpers in Jordan. These include 23,202 from Indonesia, nearly 15,000 from Philippines and 10, 362 from Sri Lanka.
