The Council of Labor Affairs has made very good use of a very bad week for the Chen administration. What better time to announce policy changes that stab foreign workers in the back than when everyone is busy being dazzled by tales of the first family's woe?
The council ought to have been embarrassed by a report from the US State Department that chided Taiwan for failing to address the "serious level of forced labor and sexual servitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workers and brides." The report also expressed concern over the treatment of workers who then flee exploitative working conditions.
Yet the council seems to think that foreigners still have it too good, and are rewriting the rules to please big business, all the while defending token "measures" that defend the rights of workers who are being abused or otherwise taken advantage of. It is as if the Kaohsiung MRT riot never happened.
Speaking of which, it is instructive that the council is washing its hands of the 700 mostly Thai laborers who were here at the time of the riot and who have been or will be sent home, contracts not renewed. This is an act of retaliation by the Kaohsiung City Council, which has made sure that the workers got their comeuppance. Result? The MRT project is now short of labor to the tune of 400 workers.
We also note with disgust the council's intention to abolish the minimum monthly wage of NT$15,840 (US$483) for foreigners. This will increase mistreatment of workers -- many of whom are already forced to go into years of debt by thug labor brokers to have the privilege of working here.
But even by this council's standards, Minister Lee Ying-yuan's (
As if all of this weren't contemptible enough, the council now wants to issue new forgery-proof integrated circuit cards to foreign workers to prevent them from "committing crimes" and "ensuring national security." How a piece of plastic will stop a laborer from stealing a pack of instant noodles, let alone weaken the nation's borders, is beyond us.
More troubling, however, is the anticipated cost of the program: a cool NT$500 million (US$15.27 million). All of this is money that could have been spent on genuine improvements to administrative and emergency support for foreigners. It turns out that it was utter fantasy that such things could be expected of the council.
It should be noted that there is a definite bias against Southeast Asians in the council's operations. Nationals from Western and other wealthy countries have any number of informal resources at their disposal to dispute and contest mistreatment by employers. But what can one do for workers who are allowed to be confined to quarters courtesy of a council-backed curfew?
This is a non-partisan issue. It is clear that both sides of politics could not care less about the exploitation of foreigners by local industry -- because both sides of politics cherish their connections with big business. For this reason, it cannot be assumed that the situation will improve with the arrival of a new government and a new minister.
This is a pity, because once human rights have been dealt with, there is the niggling problem of quality control. The less you pay, the less you get, and this is no less true with foreign labor. This government -- and the Council of Labor Affairs in particular -- seems to be bereft of any understanding that good labor relations produce good product.
Many foreigners, particularly Germans, are struck by the efficiency of Taiwan’s administration in routine matters. Driver’s licenses, household registrations and similar procedures are handled swiftly, often decided on the spot, and occasionally even accompanied by preferential treatment. However, this efficiency does not extend to all areas of government. Any foreigner with long-term residency in Taiwan — just like any Taiwanese — would have encountered the opposite: agencies, most notably the police, refusing to accept complaints and sending applicants away at the counter without consideration. This kind of behavior, although less common in other agencies, still occurs far too often. Two cases
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Yesterday’s recall and referendum votes garnered mixed results for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). All seven of the KMT lawmakers up for a recall survived the vote, and by a convincing margin of, on average, 35 percent agreeing versus 65 percent disagreeing. However, the referendum sponsored by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on restarting the operation of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County failed. Despite three times more “yes” votes than “no,” voter turnout fell short of the threshold. The nation needs energy stability, especially with the complex international security situation and significant challenges regarding
Most countries are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with condemnations of militarism and imperialism, and commemoration of the global catastrophe wrought by the war. On the other hand, China is to hold a military parade. According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Beijing is conducting the military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 to “mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.” However, during World War II, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had not yet been established. It