180 West Sumatra workers were sent to Malaysia

Padang (ANTARA) - A total of 180 male workers from W Sumatra were sent as Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) to Malaysia in an effort to help reduce unemployment in the area.

"This is the departure of phase I. The plan is for 600 male workers to be sent to Malaysia in stages," said Managing Director of PT Andalan Mitra Prestasi (PT AMP) P. Tafyani Kasim in Padang on Tuesday.

He said sending male workers from Indonesia to Malaysia was rarely done because there had been problems. Malaysia is more likely to use labor from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

This year, one of the large companies from Malaysia, Syarikat Hartalega Sdn Bhd, provided an opportunity to accept male workers from W Sumatra.

"Hopefully it will be the start for sending male workers from W Sumatra to Malaysia in the future," he said.

He asked workers sent to Malaysia in stage I to give a good impression on employers so that more W Sumatra workers could go abroad.

The workers sent also receive protection from BPJS.

Section Head of Information and Placement of Workers of W Sumatra Manpower and Transmigration Office (Disnakertrans) Wahendra asked that the workers sent understand the rules in the destination country.

"Understand and follow the rules in Malaysia. It doesn't need to be compared with the rules in Indonesia because each country has its own rules," he said.

Head of BP3TKI(Agency for the Service, Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas

Workers) Padang Lismia Elita said that so far there are only a few Indonesian Migrant Workers from W Sumatra abroad.

"Almost all of the workers from W Sumatra are formal workers, not domestic helpers, so it is rarely a problem," he said.

Transleted by: Mutiara Ramadhani

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