Ismira Lutfia & Camelia Pasandaran – A joint task force will be formed to monitor a long-awaited agreement to protect Indonesian workers in Malaysia after it is signed today.

"There will be a joint committee involving members of the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry, Malaysian Police and our embassies," Indonesian Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said on Monday before departing for Singapore and Malaysia with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Yudhoyono is scheduled to sign the memorandum of understanding covering migrant workers in Kuala Lumpur today after visiting Singapore.

The agreement has been in the works for months since Indonesia imposed a moratorium on sending workers to Malaysia last June. That followed a string of high-profile cases in which Indonesians were physically abused by their employers.

As well as dealing with abuse, the agreement aims to address other labor issues such as the workers' right to keep their passports while in Malaysia, their right to a day off each week and the setting of a minimum wage.

Muhaimin said the agreement that would be signed by the president would include the passport issue and the right to a day off.

"We've agreed to some points, such as passports being held by workers, one day off a week," he said. "The salary will be set by each country, according to the proper wage standard of the market. How much it is will be defined in the work contract."

Concerning the cost of placements, Muhaimin said that would be decided by the private companies that managed the process for the workers.

There are an estimated two million Indonesians working in Malaysia, the country's top destination for migrant workers, but only 1.2 million have legal documents. Indonesia will resume sending migrant workers after the agreement is signed.

Wahyu Susilo, a migrant worker policy expert from Migrant Care, told the Jakarta Globe that despite securing some basic rights for workers, the new agreement did not guarantee their right to form or join a union, which was a "very important" issue.

"There should also be a commitment from the Malaysian government to prosecute its citizens who commit violence [against the workers]," Wahyu said.

Amnesty International said in a report released in March that migrant workers from countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Burma were lured to Malaysia by promises of high salaries but often ended up being exploited and abused.

Wahyu said what remained to be seen with the new agreement was whether it would be effectively implemented. He said he was not confident the joint task force would be effective in monitoring the agreement's enforcement.

"Ideally, it should not consist only of representatives from both governments, but also from civil society organizations," Wahyu said.