The Ministry of Manpower awarded the integrated One-Roof Integrated Service (LTSA) and Gender-Responsive Migrant Worker Resource Center (MRC) in Tulungagung district with an Indonesian Migrant Worker award for providing the best labour migration services for Indonesian migrant workers. The award was given by the Minister of Manpower, Ida Fauziyah on 18 December 2022 in conjunction with the commemoration of International Migrant Day held in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

The award given to Tulungagung marked the second award received by the LTSA that has been integrated with the gender responsiveness Migrant Worker Resources Center (MRC). The same award was awarded by the Minister of Manpower to the LTSA-MRC in Cirebon district during the same commemorative event last year. These awards have proven that the integration formed by a multi-stakeholder partnership among government, migrant worker unions and women crisis center have successfully enhanced and expanded the functions and services of LTSA to be more gender-responsive and accessible for the optimal placement and protection of migrant workers.

These integrated LTSA and MRC have been piloted and developed in four districts known as the origin districts of Indonesian migrant workers: Cirebon district in West Java, Tulungagung district in East Java, Blitar district in East Java and East Lampung district in Lampung. These programmes are supported by the ILO through the Safe and Fair Programme: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN, as part of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls and to ensure safe and fair labour migration in the ASEAN region, including Indonesia.

These integrated programmes are not only the first model in Indonesia, but also in ASEAN promoting a multi-stakeholder collaboration to promote better protection of Indonesian migrant workers in all cycles of labour migration from the village level to the country destination. As a result, the Ministry of Manpower announced in April this year that these programmes have been selected as one of repository practices by the United Nations (UN) Migration Network Hub.

The Hub is a UN virtual platform that can be accessed by all the member States as an information centre for sharing knowledge and good practices to support the implementation, follow-up and review of Global Compact for Migration (GCM).

Suhartono, Director General of Manpower Placement and Extension of Job Opportunity of the Ministry of Manpower, stated that these LTSA-MRC services are part of the Indonesian government’s efforts in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to promote safe and fair migration for all Indonesian migrant workers. “We hope these services would provide better protection for Indonesian migrant workers, particularly women migrant workers, from trafficking in person as well violence and harassment at work, including gender-based violence,” stated Suhartono.

Greatly enthusiastic with the award received by Tulungagung, Head of Manpower Office of Tulungagung who is also the Head of LTSA, Agus Santoso thanked the supports given by relevant stakeholders from local government, community and migrant workers, including the ILO, to continue improving services given by the LTSA-MRC of Tulungagung to better protect the labour rights of its migrant workers and their families.

“We have received a tremendous support from stakeholders from every level, including the ILO. The continuous assistance from the ILO through training and socialization programmes have resulted to the issuance of the village regulations from head of villages that has helped improving the services given by the LTSA-MRC in the placement and protection of the migrant workers from Tulungagung district,” Agus explained.

From the ILO, Sinthia Harkrisnowo as the programme coordinator for the Safe and Fair Programme in Indonesia, hoped that this multi-stakeholder partnership could be continued and strengthened. “The ILO congratulates the LTSA of District Government of Tulungagung, the Confederation of the Indonesian All Trade Union (KSBSI) and the Indonesian Women Coalition (KPI) for building the strong partnership to ensure the Indonesian migrant workers, particularly women migrant workers, can benefit from migration and contribute to not only local economic of Tulungagung, but also the national economy,” concluded Sinthia.