The committee also advised recruitment offices not to receive any work visas for Indonesians as the Indonesian Labor Federation has failed to abide by the terms and conditions of a bilateral agreement.
“We also advise Saudis not to apply for new recruitment visas for Indonesia due to exorbitant charges and lack of qualified workers,” the committee said.
Yahya Hassan Al-Maqbool, chairman of the recruitment committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the new decision came after exaggerated reporting in the Indonesian media on the abuse of Indonesian maids by Saudi sponsors.
There were differences of opinion between Saudi and Indonesian authorities on recruitment charges and salaries to be paid to Indonesian maids and drivers, the main categories of workforce imported from the Southeast Asian country.
Ramli Saud, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Labor Commission, said in a previous statement that Saudi Arabia had recruited nearly one million Indonesians with 97 percent of them representing maids and drivers.
Meanwhile, the Saudi and Indonesian governments have agreed that no fines would be imposed on illegal Indonesian migrant workers who will be deported from the Kingdom, the Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Ministry announced on Monday.
“The two countries have reached an agreement during the bilateral discussions to ease the repatriation (of illegal Indonesian workers) and this is done by imposing no fines,” Muhaimin Iskandar, minister of manpower and transmigration said.
The Indonesian government has facilitated the return of 301 Indonesians who were living under bridges after their visas expired. They arrived in Jakarta on Monday on a Garuda Indonesia flight.
