New regulation provides additional benefits to PMIs: ministry

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Manpower Minister’s Regulation (Permenaker) No. 4 of 2023 on Indonesian migrant workers’ (PMIs’) social security provides additional benefits to migrant workers, according to the Manpower Ministry.The regulation offers seven new benefits and has increased the value of nine benefits from the previous Permenaker, namely Permenaker No. 18 of 2018, Indah Anggoro Putri, a ministry official, said here Friday. The new benefits comprise the treatment at home benefit, sick due to work accident or disease (KK/PAK) while in placement countries benefit, and hearing aid replacement fund. They also include glasses replacement fund, compensation due to one-sided work termination, compensation due to rape, and compensation for not being placed according to the work contract. “There are several new benefits to truly protect Indonesian migrant workers from various risks,” she said while disseminating information on the regulation to various officials online. Meanwhile, the benefits from the previous Permenaker whose value has been increased include the death compensation, regular death compensation, compensation for placement failure, and work termination due to accident or disease compensation. They further include a false teeth replacement fund, transportation change fund, as well as scholarships for children of Indonesian migrant workers. These improved benefits will be given without raising social security program dues, with the benefit claim period extended from just two years to five years, Putri informed. The Permenaker will also simplify the registration and claim application process, thus allowing Indonesian migrant workers to access the manpower social security program, she added. “Thus, with the issuance of Permenaker No. 4 of 2023, it is expected to be able to provide comprehensive protection and raise awareness of PMIs to register themselves based on the established procedure,” she said. ccording to data from the Workers Social Security Program (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan), the number of PMIs until February 2023 reached 354,995 people. “This data shows how much Indonesian migrant workers that must receive social protection, both for themselves and their families,” she said.

Source: Antara News Agency