In a pilot project, Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to the recruitment of 10,000 Indonesian domestic workers from next month. It will start a week after the Memorandum of Understanding on the Recruitment and Placement of Indonesian Domestic Workers (MOU PDI) is signed.

The MOU will be signed on Feb 7 and 8 in Bali Indonesia and will share the same aspiration to champion the cause of immigrant workers and protect their rights.

In a statement, Malaysia’s Human Resource Ministry explained that this pilot project was important to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the MOU, which will be monitored by a special committee comprising representatives from both countries

Malaysia and Indonesia also agreed on two other issues, the implementation of a one channel system which will be the single passage for the entry of Indonesian domestic workers to Malaysia.

The other issue which they had come to an agreement on was the wages for PDI but at the time of going to press no details were available.

Industry players welcomed this pilot project but said there was room for improvement.

Currently, the cost of getting a maid in Malaysia is between RM15,000 and RM20,000 depending on the latest Covid-19 health guidelines.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE