Long work hours, fewer days off, limited freedom and discrimination are some of the issues that have worsened work conditions for migrant workers in the country, activists said yesterday.
"A lot of migrant workers -- especially those who came as caretakers for the eldery -- work extremely long hours, often without a day off. And a lot of them are not allowed to lock their doors when they sleep at night," Lorna Kung (
Tessa Cheng (
"They really have very limited freedom," she said.
She also said that discrimination often makes the conditions worse.
Tseng said many Taiwanese consider migrant workers "outsiders" and think they should accept any working conditions, "or they should just leave the country."
The government's lack of assistance also frustrates social workers, she said, naming three major problems in government institutions that deal with migrant worker affairs.
"First, staff members lack the language ability to talk to migrant workers directly. Second, they don't have enough knowledge on laws relevant to migrant workers. And third, they lack the human rights awareness -- most of them only want to `get rid of the case' quickly when migrant workers seek assistance from them," she said.
A change of attitude is key to improving working conditions for migrant workers, she said.
Cheng said: "These migrant workers make significant contributions to Taiwanese society. They should be considered assets, not burdens."
Migrant rights groups will stage a march today to seek vacation rights for foreign caregivers.
The march will begin at 1pm from the Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station in Taipei and end at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
The "I Want a Vacation" march is part of a three-day international conference held by the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan at National Taiwan Normal University to discuss globalization and the human rights of migrants. The conference began on Thursday and ended yesterday.
Secretary-General of the Taiwan International Workers' Association Ku Yu-ling (顧玉玲) said some families that hire foreign caregivers refuse to give their employees a vacation, claiming that they have no money to cover the cost of hiring a substitute in their absence.
Not every family that employs a foreign caregiver is wealthy, Ku said, adding that the labor authorities use its managed employment fund to hire Taiwanese caregivers who can substitute for foreign caregivers when they are on vacation.
Additional reporting by CNA
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