Construction laborers.

[Minuteman]

This seems to be a cultural tradition here in Indonesia:

Over the many years here I have seen this numerous times, so much so that it is not a chance happening.

I live in a housing complex (Perumahan). Whenever someone hires a crew to do some renovation work, the labor crew always start pestering the local young maids. They seem to show zero respect for the employers of these girls and go out of their way to get phone numbers, call them names and generally harass them to no end.

There is a crew right next door to me and they are of the same ilk. There is a nice young lady who works up the road from me and every day used to pass my house on the way to the vegetable vendor over on the corner. These guys (from day one) pestered her such that every time she passed, she would break into a run. Now she goes around the block the other way to avoid these jerks.

We have recently hired a new baby sitter and straight away, inside 3 days these clowns were at my gate in the evening after work trying to get contact with her.

A real pain in the butt. However, I know that I must walk on cats' feet here and go through proper channels (RT, Saptam) to get them to stop but if so, I'm positive that the next day the tires on my car out front would be flat and the paint keyed and so on.

One of the few aspects of this culture that I have never come to terms with.

Well, I feel a bit better now after this rant. Thanks.

 

[lifelongexpat]

So much for the supposed 'Indonesian Morals' eh....

 

[Jaime C]

I haven’t run into this, but we don’t have young maids or such that work for us.

We have security cameras and a fenced in garage. If these laborers were bothering friends and family, a call to the RT would happen immediately.

Ibu and Oma are also not shrinking violets, and would likely chew out the laborers themselves.

We are in a pretty family centric neighborhood, with hardly any rental properties. Everybody knows everyone, and really won’t put up with that type of crap. I feel safe letting my 5 year walk down the street by herself, if I can watch her, or with other slightly older kids, if not.

 

[Pak Asam Manis]

I would be more so concerned about the lack of respect shown or given to the girls themselves, rather than their employers, although I can see the valid case in both.

 

[Minuteman]

I would be more so concerned about the lack of respect shown or given to the girls themselves, rather than their employers, although I can see the valid case in both.

I mentioned that because they have the gall to come to the gate and "Pssst-psst" to the maid. If the lady was walking down the street then it only against her. See what I mean?

 

[atlantis]

Thouugh I am certain it isn't a rare occurrence, it didn't happen to us. Probably due to the fact that we have very strong rules on the matter.

I believe that the people who should rein them in are the people who hire them. They are the one who has the strongest leverage on them. This is what we do.

Considering the fact that it is a pain in the ass to get some professional household staff where I live I certainly don't want to take any risk of loosing one of them due to a jerk who can't behave.

We have at the moment five household workers, four of them being single females in their late twenties/early thirties. We also have a group of builders employed by us year long on various project within the house compound or the warehouse compound (situated about 200m from the house) and drivers. All are males.

Our female workers work on the house chores but also go back and forth from house to warehouse whenever needed.

At the very beginning of the work relation with any male worker we VERY clearly tell them that should I have any complaint from our female workers, even a mild one, they would be in for serious problems and that we would be particularly hard on them should they be Married.

We did the same for the Head of the group of builders. From the beginning he knows that should one of his guys messes, with the girls (or with anything else), him and his crew would be without work (and pay) on the spot. He has been working almost non stop with us for years and know how much he has to loose if there is a breach of our deal on the matter.

Regularly (once a month at pay day) I ask to our female members if everything is OK, not only with the male staff we have, but also in the hood. Just normal duties of an employer in my opinion.

 

[Pak Asam Manis]

I mentioned that because they have the gall to come to the gate and "Pssst-psst" to the maid. If the lady was walking down the street then it only against her. See what I mean?

As I said above, "I can see a valid case for both".

 

[atlantis]

I mentioned that because they have the gall to come to the gate and "Pssst-psst" to the maid. If the lady was walking down the street then it only against her. See what I mean?

Would love to have any guy "pssst-psssting" my maids at the gate... that would be seriously entertaining, but surely not for him. I once had some money collectors insistingly coming at the warehouse gate to pester one of our crew, until I told them to f*** *** after taking pics of them. That's my house and my warehouse. You don't come at the gate bothering people, especially during working hours, for any reason, unless you are an official with the proper documents.

If it is at your gate, you can tell them politely (especially if you park your car outside your property ) not to disturb your staff during their working time. This is what I would normally do for any nuisance. Being polite and friendly first. I kicked out the money collectors very abruptly because they were insistent, with one of them even entering the compound without my authorization and having parked his motorbike in the middle of the alley, blocking (or at least delaying) any of our vehicles which would enter/exit. This was a non acceptable and unfriendly behavior from them, so I responded in kind.

One thing which may help also is CCTV. Any gates and most outside areas of the house and warehouses are monitored by CCTV and people know it. Unsurprisingly since we have installed the whole thing and let it know, the number of outside nuisances has drastically been reduced.

 

[Anglian]

I had that problem of whistling and cat calls if a pretty girl or stewardess walked through the hangar, I gave the offenders a right bollocking and told them they would be out the door if it didn’t stop, it’s so childish, but it cured it,
I have to say I have never come across such childish behavior, it was quite embarrassing as I had never seen grown men behaving in such a manner

 

[snpark]

I had that problem of whistling and cat calls if a pretty girl or stewardess walked through the hangar, I gave the offenders a right bollocking and told them they would be out the door if it didn’t stop, it’s so childish, but it cured it,
I have to say I have never come across such childish behavior, it was quite embarrassing as I had never seen grown men behaving in such a manner

Slightly disappointed it wasn't the punchline I expected from you

Let me help: "I had that problem of whistling and cat calls if a pretty girl or stewardess walked through the hangar, I gave the offenders a right bollocking and told them they would be out the door if it didn’t stop, it’s so childish, but it cured it,
But it did make me feel sexy when they did it to me. The good old days when I was so handsome to get that attention. How I miss Angela and Sharon. "

 

[Anglian]

The good old days when I was so handsome to get that attention. How I miss Angela and Sharon. "

How did you know about Angela and Sharon

 

[snpark]

Jennifer Alison Philippa Sue

 

[waarmstrong]

Never had such a problem, around here, and we generally have some sort of construction project in process. Given the nature of our close-knit and fairly conservative neighborhood, I doubt if we ever will.

 

[Euc-]

Its not just construction labourers. We have a sitting area for all drivers, anytime a maid passes various catcalls can be heard.

 

[steveandpenny]

Well I'm sure if some 30 y.o. construction worker started to give any of the girls in the neighbor a problem here his ibu would show up and give him a what for. But we live in a small village and even if his famliy doesnt live here I'm sure he would have a aunty around. Respect is very important here.
I'm sure it happens but seems to us it's more likely a group of 16 y.o. girls would find a reason to hang out a few doors down. But only if there were a few of the boys in there 20s. I think they know the boys will have some money on pay day . It would all be innocent.
But we are living in a differant world here then where you are.

 

[atlantis]

Its not just construction labourers. We have a sitting area for all drivers, anytime a maid passes various catcalls can be heard.

Jeez... and none of the bosses bother to tell them to behave?
I'd like to see their (the bosses) reaction when their daughter passes and get a similar treatment.

 

[Euc-]

Jeez... and none of the bosses bother to tell them to behave?
I'd like to see their (the bosses) reaction when their daughter passes and get a similar treatment.

In a building with 95%+ Chinese(-Indonesian) occupants it's fairly easy for them to figure out when to shut up.

I don't think there are any "local locals" living there that are not staff, there's one other "bule" besides me and some Japanese dudes.

 

[waarmstrong]

Its not just construction labourers. We have a sitting area for all drivers, anytime a maid passes various catcalls can be heard.

This not a construction laborer or driver problem; as has been pointed out, its a management, or rather lack thereof, issue. Like I said, does not happen in our neighborhood generally or on my watch, specifically. Such intimidation is simply not tolerated.

 

[Anglian]

Saturday my daughter and I went to the pool shop on Ciredue Raya, sitting outside were about 10 PLN labourers, they didn’t just stare at here they just couldn’t take there eyes off her in offensive manner, nobody said a word, my daughter just ignored them.
Today she has to go to Bandung by train for a meeting, unfortunately she has to go by train to gambir, so know how crowded that will be she isn’t too keen, she recalls her days as a Uni student being gripped on the buses till we decided a car was needed, it does seem odd that a supposedly deeply Muslim country cannot leave its women alone

 

[snpark]

Sadly staring isn't a crime