The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) said yesterday that some 734 Indonesians workers could not extend their stay in Taiwan after their work permits expire on May 1, due to a ban on the importation of Indonesian workers.
On Feb. 9, the council permitted Indonesian workers whose work permits have expired to apply for a three-month extension in accordance with Article 52 of the Employment Service Law (就業服務法).
However, due to unsuccessful negotiations between the council and the Indonesian labor department, workers whose work permits had been extended to May 1 may no longer be able to remain in the country beyond this date.
Article 52 stipulates that, in certain circumstances, an employer may apply for an additional extension and the extension time will be decided by the Executive Yuan.
"In late January, Chairperson of the CLA Chen Chu (
An MOU stipulates specific terms and issues concerning both parties and guarantees the rights of these parties, and signing MOUs is a common practice in many countries.
Kuo stated that once they have left, the 734 Indonesians involved may not be able to re-apply for employment in Taiwan until the ban has been lifted.
The ban on the importation of Indonesian workers was enacted on Aug. 1, 2002, due to their high rate of absconding and a refusal from Indonesia to lower commission charges on imported workers.
According to Kuo, the reason why Indonesia has not sent representatives to Taiwan might be due to their recent parliamentary and upcoming presidential elections.
Kuo also urged the workers who have to depart by May 1 and their employers to make travel arrangements as soon as possible, as a worker who fails to leave by the due date may be committing an offense according to Article 74 of the Employment Service Law.
Kuo said Taiwan will continue to negotiate with the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further discuss the possibility of lifting the ban.
According to statistics provided by the CLA, there were 49,453 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan as of March 31. The majority of these workers are allowed to stay in Taiwan until their work permits expire.
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