Malaysia hopes to end Indonesian maid ban by July

May 27, 2010, 12:12 GMT

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia said Thursday it hoped to soon end a ban imposed by Indonesia on sending maids to work in Malaysia, saying that contentious issues such as wages and working conditions have been ironed out.

Malaysian Human Resource Minister S Subramaniam said both countries are expected to sign an agreement in the next five weeks, the Star newspaper said.

At an international forum in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, the two countries' leaders failed to reach any conclusive agreement to end the ban.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a labour pact including improved working conditions for maids, but could not agree a minimum wage.

In June, Indonesia imposed a ban on agencies sending domestic workers to Malaysia after several reports of maid abuse.

Jakarta had said the ban would not be lifted until the working conditions of the maids, who were not protected under local labour laws, were improved.

Indonesian maids currently receive the lowest salary among foreign domestic workers in Malaysia with monthly wages starting at 450 ringgit (135 dollars), and they are required to work seven days a week.

The Indonesian workers also give up their travel and work documents to their employers as security, but the system has been abused by unscrupulous employers holding their workers to ransom.

Non-governmental organizations claim that every year hundreds of maids lodge complaints against their employers ranging from ill-treatment to nonpayment of salaries.

The new labour pact would require Malaysian employers to give their maids one day off per week and foreign maids could also keep their passports.

Subramaniam said the outstanding issue of salary was also expected to be resolved soon, but declined to give details of the sum.

He also said that the government was looking into the possibility of opening its doors to foreign maids from other countries.

Malaysia is home to more than 300,000 Indonesian maids with a growing number of domestic workers from Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Before the ban, Indonesian agencies were sending more than 4,000 maids each month.