The Saudi-Indonesian Committee is working hard to address recruitment conditions and resume the flow of Indonesian workers to the Kingdom, Dudang Abdul Rahman, the Indonesian commercial attaché, said Thursday during a meeting with members of the Hail Chamber of Commerce and Industry. During a Chamber reception for the diplomatic corps in the Kingdom, Khalid Al-Saif, Chairman of Hail Chamber, said the meeting with the Indonesian delegation was transparent in discussing the problems that Indonesian domestic workers face in the Kingdom and the recruitment conditions that Indonesia has recently placed. He pointed out that commercial relations and joint investments between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have witnessed tremendous development since 1980, specifically since the signing of the economic-development agreement, which was followed by a series of meetings among high-level officials. The last meeting was held in Jeddah in August 2008 and the next one is set for January, in Bali, Indonesia, he added. Attendees at the meeting in Hail discussed a number of matters related to Indonesian workers in the Kingdom, economic issues, agricultural and industrial investments, and dual taxation, in an attempt to resolve issues and open new horizons for investors in both countries, Al-Saif said. Al-Saif also stressed the importance of the meetings to find solutions for problems hindering development efforts and trade exchange, which can provide great gains for different economic sectors. Indonesia imposed earlier this year conditions that required details of the family members of the sponsor, including photographs and copies of identity cards for every member of the household and a certificate from the police confirming that the sponsor does not have a criminal record. Sponsors wishing to recruit an Indonesian housemaid must have, the conditions said, a monthly income of no less than SR6,000, a figure that rises to SR8,000 for the recruitment of a driver. The recruitment of a married couple to be employed as maid and driver requires the sponsor to have a monthly income of no less than SR12,000, a figure that rises to SR14,000 for the recruitment of an unmarried maid and driver. Sponsors employed in the public sector are required to provide full written details of their positions from their employers, while private sector employees are required to provide a bank account statement certified by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Other conditions include a written pledge from the sponsor to “treat the Indonesian worker well” and refrain from any sort of physical or mental maltreatment and also sign a pledge approving consulate handling of “worker problems”. Following what were called conditions that “infringe on the privacy of Saudi citizens”, the Saudi Ministry of Labor decided to suspend visas for recruiting housemaids from Indonesia. __
