Minister of Labor and Welfare of Hong Kong Chris Sun on Thursday (10/8/2023) met with Acting Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong Slamet Noegroho to reaffirm Hong Kong's stance on the issue of placement fees to employ Indonesian domestic workers (PRT) . On that occasion Minister Sun emphasized that in order to maintain friendly, mutually beneficial and close cooperation between the two countries, there must be no changes made by the Indonesian side to the arrangements for the placement of Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong which will result in an additional burden on Hong Kong employers or damage employment opportunities for Indonesian domestic workers.
He added that although changes would be made, Hong Kong should not be distinguished by different treatment compared to other places. "Mr Noegroho clarified at the meeting that there was no change to the fee structure for placing Indonesian domestic workers to work in Hong Kong," the official website of the Hong Kong government read.
“The (Indonesian) Consul General said that the policies and regulations of the two governments remain the same, and issues relevant to the employment of Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong should continue to be discussed between the Government of Indonesia and the Hong Kong SAR Government.”
Regarding the information disseminated by the Association of Indonesian Employment Placement Agencies to employment agencies in Hong Kong last week, Mr Noegroho confirmed to Mr Sun that the association does not represent the Government of Indonesia.
The Ministry of Labor & Welfare said the Hong Kong SAR Government would continue to talk and cooperate with the Indonesian Consulate General in protecting the interests of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong, as well as their employers. The aim is to maintain Hong Kong as an attractive place for foreign domestic workers to come to work. It was emphasized that the SAR Government would also hold discussions with other places, including Bangladesh and Cambodia, to expand the potential sources of foreign domestic workers to meet the needs of the State of Concrete.
