Indonesia restricts foreign engineers

JAKARTA. Indonesia builds another fort for the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). After a long time in limbo, yesterday (25/2), House of Representatives (DPR) passed the Engineering Act.

This regulation provides legal basis for restricting foreign engineers in the country. One of the crucial points of this act is the provision for every foreign engineer who work in Indonesia to have a Certificate of Registration from Indonesian Engineers Association (PII). They also must have certificate of competence from their country of origin. They also must have working permits for foreign workers.

Rully Chairul Azwar, Chairman of the House Special Committee for Engineering Bill, explained, the foreign engineers may work in Indonesia, as long as their services are needed. "But they have to be qualified," he said, Tuesday (25/2).

According to the National Education Minister Muhammad Nuh, this law will tackle the invasion of foreign engineers to Indonesia. But which sector will be restricted to foreigners, it depends on PII proposal. “Its application is similar to the pattern of negative investment list. Conditions of detail will set in government regulations (PP), " Nuh said.

Bobby Gafur Umar, Chairman of PII, said, this law will became crucial instruments to face global competition, including the imposition of 2015 AEC. "Indonesia has now equaled with other countries in Southeast Asia. Only Myanmar and Laos who do not have engineering law," he said.

According to the MEA roadmap, foreign labor nationals of ASEAN can be free to work in other countries in ASEAN. “For countries outside ASEAN, they must have a mutual recognition agreement (MRA), " Heru Dewanto said. Heru is Chairman of PII’s Center for Engineering and Industrial Policy Studies.

Chairman of the Working Group of the Association of Indonesian Mining Professionals (Perhapi) Tino Ardhyanto proposed that the government requires foreign workers to be fluent in Indonesian language. The goal is to facilitate communication in terms of safety.

Mean while, the Presidium of the National Workers Union (SPN) Joko Haryono said, the government should only give selective permission to foreign labor. For example, foreigners are prohibited from working on jobs that can be worked by local engineer. In addition, there have to equal salary on the same work group for foreign and local workers. After all, the fewer foreign workers here, the less the dollar is also from Indonesia who goes abroad.

 

Important Points of Engineering Act

1. Foreign engineers can only practice in Indonesia in accordance with the needs of human resources, science and technology development that has been set by the national government
2. To obtain a work permit, a foreign engineer must have a Certificate of Registration from the Union of Indonesian engineers (PII) which is based on the registration certificate or certificate of competency.
3. Foreign engineers can provide engineering services in disaster management, or incidental consultation which does not require a work permit, but must notify the relevant ministries.