Slamet Heri
is from Cilacap, Central Java. Now 30, he has been living and working in the
Netherlands since August 2006. The unique story, told in his on words, of how
he ended up there says much about the life endured by migrant workers across
the world.
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| (AP Photo) |
Millions of
Indonesians now go abroad for work. Because of his experiences, Heri is now the
chairperson of the newly formed Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union in the
Netherlands. Journalist Celia Mather spoke to him in Geneva at a gathering of
migrant workers to discuss the International Labor Organization’s convention
for domestic workers’ rights. Here is Heri’s story.
“Originally,
I got a degree in Teaching and Education Studies at university in Klaten,
Central Java. Then, while waiting for a job, I got involved in voluntary work
at a youth center, where I organized seminars on reproductive health and
HIV/AIDS. I also got active in the Indonesian Youth Partnership and the
Indonesian Aids Foundation. I funded these activities — and my studies — by
working as a security guard at an asphalt factory.
“I heard
about an opportunity to go for education and work experiences in Japan. They
said I could get a job at an electronics factory and receive training in
business studies. So I went to Jakarta for six months training to learn about
the language, culture and how to work in Japan. For some reason the company
pulled out midway. I still wanted to go to Japan. Unhappily, I had fallen into
the hands of a bogus agency, one so bad I have called it a ‘mafia agency.’
“For over a
year I stayed in Jakarta, waiting to go to Japan. I was unemployed but I had to
pay the agency for accommodation and fees. It was all a scam. At one point, the
agency even suggested falsifying my passport and sending me to the US. I didn’t
want that. I wanted to go to Japan in my own name.
“I went
back home for a while. Then one day the agency rang. All was now fixed. I
thought, ‘At last I’m going to Japan.’ But no, they were sending me to Spain.
They said that work permits, wages, accommodation were all guaranteed and I
would be met at the Barcelona airport.
“None of it
was true. There was no one to meet me and the other migrant workers off the
plane. There were no work permits, just tourist visas for three weeks, and the
contract was fake. For several days we paid for a hotel room and waited, but no
one came. So we made a decision to survive, but not in Spain. We opened up a
map of Europe and each one chose where to go. Some chose Germany or
Switzerland. One headed back to Indonesia, still wanting to go to Japan — he is
now working in South Korea.
“I chose
the Netherlands, because Indonesia was a colony of that country and I thought
there might be more Indonesians there. So four of us – two men and two women –
bought bus tickets and got off in Amsterdam. We had only ten days left on our
visas. And I knew my debt totalled about Rp 75 million [$8,850]. Luckily we met
another Indonesian woman at the bus station and she found us a temporary place
to stay. We spent the next days looking for other Indonesians who could help us
find jobs. For a while we shadowed friends, learning how to do a job and how to
communicate with employers. For about a year we were like that, three to a
room.
“Many
Indonesian migrant workers in the Netherlands are undocumented like I am. None
that I know of have a work permit. Actually there is no official contract
system between the Netherlands and Indonesia in the domestic work sector, only
in some other sectors such as nursing. So most of us become domestic workers, cleaners
and gardeners. Many are victims of fraud. There seem to be a lot of us. We
often meet each other in the street.
“I have
done a lot of different jobs: gardening, babysitting, cleaning, ironing,
massage, construction, carpentry and painting. I have worked for registered
companies, even though I’m undocumented.
“By 2009, I
had gotten sick. I was diagnosed with a rare heart malfunction. I was treated
for three months at home and then spent a month in hospital. It turns out that
my heart functions only 8 per cent of what it should, and eventually the
doctors decided to fit me with a pacemaker. With this, I couldn’t fly home. So
the doctors and lawyers helped me get a residence permit. I didn’t have to pay
any of my health care costs, thanks to my doctors, the [government] health care
insurance and donations from friends. I am truly grateful. Now I pay into the
social insurance system in Holland and I work as a volunteer organizer with the
EuroMoslim Amsterdam foundation.
“In some
ways, my illness was a blessing. Although I am an undocumented migrant, I was
able to access the Dutch health care system.
“The idea
for the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union in the Netherlands [IMWU NL] grew
after some of us met with Filipinos in the Netherlands who had built such a
group for themselves. They gave us a lot of advice. So we started off with a
few people and on Jan. 2, we set up the IMWU NL. It is for any Indonesian
migrant worker in the country.
“The FNV
Bondgenoten trade union has given us help and some room space. From there, we
provide information on migrants’ rights and health care access, legal aid,
assistance in negotiating with employers, language courses and so on.
“Right now
there is a proposal in the Netherlands to criminalize undocumented migrant
workers. However, there is a coalition growing to fight this. We need
recognition and respect because we certainly contribute to the economy. We are
workers, not criminals. So we want the same rights as other workers, including
such things as unemployment benefits and paid holidays.
For myself,
I am looking for an employer who will get me a work permit. Then my status will
change. Right now, I cannot go home to Indonesia and then return to Europe. I
would really like to see my family again but, as I am still looking after my
health, these are hard choices to make. Hopefully everything will work
out fine.”
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