The Agents. No, not secret agents. But yes, these agents I'm talking about do work in clandestine. They have a 'license to kill' you with their demands.
If I was not leaving soon and had my parents weren't busy, I would not need the service of domestic helpers anymore. I wouldn't want to support the breaching on human rights, the exorbitant, incumbent and non-sense fee asked by The agents. I hate the thought that I am a part of the equation. So does my other half. It looks like we don't have any choice at the moment. So, in the last few weeks we have been shopping for bio-data from a few agents recommended.
On average this is their fee and their requirement:
- B$800 for a couple
- The helpers would need to pay back B$1000 to B$1200 per person when they arrived, meaning their salary to be deducted between 5 to 6 months
The B$800 fee entail:
- recruitment and selection service
- Immigration processing: Visa, employment pass and smart card
- Labour Department processing: Resgistering them under your license, contract agreement
- Return transportation (Indon-Brunei): via land
- Health check up upon arrival: blood and x-ray
- 3 months guarantee: process and returning of employees and replacement
- End of contract process: transfer, extension or return
- recruitment and placement service
- issuance of Indonesian passport
- visa processing at Brunei Embassy in Jakarta
- Health check up prior to travel in Jakarta (approved by Brunei Embassy)
- Transportation to Brunei
- Full boarding and insurance at holding centres in Jakarta and training
- Other miscellaneous (taxes, etc)
The service list sounded a lot, but really its over-rated. The fee is overpriced. I know cause it caused me no more than B$650 all-in-all last time by doing it by ourselves. My parents did it for us while they were on holiday in Jakarta the last time, 3 years back. That B$650 include flight fare coming to Brunei! Even taking inflation into account, the total amount of B$2000 in the pockets of the foreign agents and Brunei agents are way overboard.
You see, the recruitment and selection processes don't really exist. There are an abundant number of people registering to get jobs in (legal and illegal) employment agencies in Indonesia. Young and old, name it you got it. Then, we have the Immigration and Labour department under one roof here in Brunei, where things can be done simultaneously. Then that return transport via land really doesn't cost much. It's double charging anyway considering the migrant workers are charged on transportation too. Thus, even after considering time, effort, queueing and petrol, we are OVERCHARGED.
The poor migrant workers are totally EXPLOITED pre-departure. The fees are excessive, it's bloodsucking! It cost about B$50 to issue an Indonesian passport and should take less than a week. But these agents are asking for B$150 the least. Not just profiting, but that includes bribing the Immigration officials to speed up the process. Otherwise, the issuing takes longer than 7 days. Visa and health check up in Jakarta can be done in a couple of days and cost between B$100-150 if I am not mistaken. The travel via land to Brunei which has been paid by the employer is incorporated again. Full boarding in Jakarta and en-transit is way overcharged. The agency would keep the workers for longer at the holding centres and the poor workers would have to pay these extras. They claimed to train these workers, but that's questionable. I don't know what other miscellaneous fees they've to pay, but we know the workers would have to pay for any interest from borrowing either with the agents or from other people.
Having said the above, we are still parting our B$800 to the agent here. Having said that, we still let the agents take the workers 5-6 months salary. It feels hypocritical, while we know that we have the POWER to stop this exploitation. If we don't give our money, we might stop the misuse.
It's a catch 22 situation. We are sending our 3 year old to school next year, but it's the baby we are worried about. I don't have a solution except to hold off my intention to go. We've discussed this, he said I should go. it's only a year. A little selfish I feel but it's for our future.
So where is my stance on the exploitation on 'human trafficking.' I'm being two-faced, but let's STOP this. I am calling for Brunei authorities to regulate the handling of recruitment and employment agencies in Brunei. A law is required not just to put a control on the fees and to guide their services; but to monitor the handling of labourers pre-departure and on transit, which shall be accountable to the agents here. I know the agencies overseas are in control prior to reaching Brunei, but without the monetary incentives from Brunei agencies and demand from us, these bloodsuckers can't operate. If we are stringent on our agencies, they will expect the same with their overseas counterparts. We have to ensure that our agencies here are dealing with LEGAL agencies overseas too. Legal agencies in Indonesia I believe are being monitored by their authorities. Perhaps, the workers will be treated more humanely by them. So, if we put pressure on our agents, and the agents will pressurized their counterparts. That will somehow push the Indonesian Authorities to work harder to enforce protection of their migrating workers. After all, these migrant workers contribute to the huge fraction of invisible earnings.
Now why bother? Cause every of that BRUNEI $$$ should be used for humane cause. We BRUNEIANS should NOT become the prey of these illegal human traffickers. BRUNEI should also be FREE of upset, depressed and dysfunctional oversea workers. And any after effects of violations and abuse of migrating workers. Most of all, we are a caring society.
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