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CLA to offer foreign workers one-stop service center

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) will set up a "one-stop service center" for foreign workers, which is expected to begin operations in January, a council official said on Wednesday.

Chen Yi-min (陳益民), director general of the council's Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, said that in the initial stage, the center's services will target people wishing to renew their employment as household helpers or caregivers.

The new measure, adopted under a revised government policy on foreign labor, aims to simplify procedures for employing foreign workers and reduce their financial burden, Chen said.

He said that the council was working on improving its foreign labor management policy in three ways: simplifying the legal procedures governing foreign caregivers switching to new employers; protecting foreign workers' rights and interests by tightening rules on labor brokers and illegal employers; and collaborating with labor-exporting countries to set up direct employment systems to help lower the financial burden of foreign workers wishing to work in Taiwan.

Under existing regulations, foreign workers can be hired for up to three years. Upon expiry of their contract, they have to leave the country for at least one day and then re-enter the country to renew their employment contracts, with a nine-year cumulative period of employment, Chen said.

Foreign workers are required to go through a number of procedures to renew their employment contracts, which may take more than two weeks, Chen said.

Once the "one-stop service center" is opened, the CLA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Health and other government agencies will set up offices in the center to better service foreign laborers.

As to simplifying procedures on foreign caregivers' transfer to new employers, Chen said the CLA would set up a databank to facilitate processing.

A foreign worker, as well as the original and new employer, can also directly negotiate the transfer instead of going through a broker, adding that they will be allowed a maximum of two months to obtain an agreement and finalize the transfer, he said.

Additionally, the CLA will crack down on employers violating regulations governing employment of foreign workers. Those caught illegally hiring foreign workers will be subject to a maximum fine of NT$750,000 and deductions of two laborers from their quotas for illegal employment of one worker.
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