The riots by Thai workers working on the Kaohsiung MRT in their dormitory in Gangshan Township (岡山) has served as a wake-up call for foreign labor management. These riots were the largest of their kind ever, and the Council of Labor Affairs' punishment of the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp, the employer, for its poor management was the severest yet.
Taiwan's importation of foreign workers is a result of its economic development. For more than a decade, rising domestic wages have led to increased operating costs for companies. This is paired with Taiwanese workers' reluctance to take on labor-intensive, low-wage jobs. This combination of factors has resulted in today's phenomenon, with over 300,000 foreign laborers working in Taiwan.
Foreign laborers' salaries are certainly lower than their local counterparts, and this is why they have been imported. Nevertheless, in their own countries, they tend to be paid wages much lower than what they can get here, if they are able to find a job at all. This is why they come here, to make a living, and it is part of the natural flow of labor within the international community.
Regardless, they should be treated with dignity while they are here. They must not be exploited, and their treatment should be made more humane. Past riots among foreign laborers were also caused by employers' poor management, flying in the face of humane treatment. The government should try to improve this situation, or Taiwan's international reputation may be tarnished.
In addition to the management of foreign workers, the riot in Kaohsiung also makes us reflect on Taiwan's employment problem. In the past, Taiwan imported foreign workers because local workers were unwilling to take certain jobs for various reasons, and without foreign workers there would be no one to do these jobs. At the time, jobs were more plentiful, and the increase in foreign labor did not take job opportunities from local people.
Unfortunately, in recent years, both the government and opposition have actively promoted the opening up of investment in China. More and more enterprises have downsized or closed their business in Taiwan, leading to high domestic unemployment. Life is hard for the unemployed in Taiwan today. Even for those who do have a job, their average salary has dropped dramatically.
Statistics show that the starting salary for those who first enter the workplace with a master's degree or higher is less than NT$30,000, and that this figure has clearly decreased compared to before, let alone the drastic wage decline of blue-collar workers. Local workers should adjust to this situation and not be too picky when seeking a job.
Still, those irresponsible politicians and media that do not review the opening-up policy have further encouraged young Taiwanese people to work in China, boasting that opportunities are everywhere. They never mention whether our young people are recruited as white-collar workers or just underpaid, overworked laborers over there.
As the Chinese economy rapidly grows with the help of Taiwanese businesspeople, many have been replaced by Chinese businesspeople in recent years. Chinese conceptions of the Taiwanese have changed over the years, and now they look down on them, whereas before they envied them. Are Taiwanese workers really valued in China? This is certainly worth reflecting on.
The problem doesn't merely lie in the fact that the policy of actively allowing investment in China has sapped Taiwan's economy. The past five years have seen political stagnation with the government and opposition deadlocked, and the rotting away of the foundation of democracy has begun.
In a few short years, Taiwan has gone from having a prosperous economy driving a democratic revolution, to today's situation, in which the condition of the economy and politics gives one cause to shake one's head and sigh. Is this all an omen that Taiwan is set to become another Philippines in the future? Again, the government, the opposition and the people of Taiwan would do well to give this some thought.
Job opportunities for local workers are being squeezed from two sides: at home from rising numbers of foreign laborers, and abroad from rising new labor markets such as China's. The way out of this would seem to be for the government to improve the environment for investment in Taiwan, thereby increasing the number of jobs. At present we are looking for a solution in allowing more investment in China, but this is ultimately suicidal behavior.
Perhaps we cannot control how Taiwanese businessmen choose to invest their money, but if some unscrupulous politicians care nothing about the people of Taiwan, think nothing of putting Taiwan to the sacrificial altar, and looking to what is best for China, we should not give them free rein to do so.
Take a look at these foreign laborers, and put yourselves in their position. We should not complain that jobs are scarce and wages falling, while at the same time we vote for politicians who are throwing money at China.
This is tantamount to helping others count up the money they earned from selling you down the river, and greater foolishness is hard to imagine.
Translated by Eddie Chang and Paul Cooper
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