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Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar on Tuesday evening presented a draft memorandum of understanding to Kuwaiti Ambassador Nasser Al Anzi that is hoped will secure improved working conditions for Indonesian migrant workers in the Middle Eastern country.

Iskandar Maula, the ministry’s director of overseas workers, said on Wednesday that this was just the first step in a process that would hopefully end with better protections for Indonesian migrant workers.

“Kuwait has agreed to establish an MoU with us to protect Indonesian migrant workers there. The meeting to discus the matter of the MoU took place at the ministry,” he said.

Iskandar said the countries had agreed to establish a joint task force involving officers from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait, the social and foreign ministries from both countries as well as representatives from recruitment agencies in Kuwait.

“The workers have a right to retain their passports. We have asked for that,” he said. “There must be regulations governing minimum wage and leave days. We have also requested that the wages of workers be transferred directly into their bank accounts.”

Iskandar earlier told the Jakarta Globe that a major issue was communication problems between Indonesian representatives and employers in Kuwait. He said the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait had also encountered difficulties in trying to arrange meetings with Kuwaiti employers.

Last September, the government halted migrant workers traveling to Kuwait in response to reports of abuses and Indonesian workers not being paid. That followed the government’s decision last June to halt the flow of domestic helpers, construction workers and plantation hands into Malaysia, following reports of abuse.

Yunus Yamani, head of the Association of Indonesian Labor Exporters (Himsataki), told the Globe that one of the problems that needed to be addressed was that migrant workers in Kuwait were “moved around” from one employer to another, without any clear regulation on wages.”

“Our migrant workers are often moved from one employer to another, depriving them of their salaries. The government needs to think about this,” Yunus said, adding that returning the workers to Indonesia would not solve the problem.

Anis Hidayah, director of the advocacy group Migrant Care, agreed. “What’s the point of returning them back to Indonesia if Indonesia does not review its law on the placement and protection of Indonesian workers overseas? Our workers have to work too many hours and the law does not address how they can secure leave,” she said.

There are currently 4.3 million Indonesians working in 42 countries, according to the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI). That figure, however, does not include an estimated two to four million working abroad illegally.