The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) yesterday said it had devised a standard contract to be used between foreign workers and international recruitment agencies.
The contract can be used for workers who fall under Article 46, Items 8 to 10 of the Employment Services Act (就業服務法), which includes workers in marine fishing and netting, construction and manufacturing or who work as household assistants.
“The contract is not mandatory and businesses or individuals who do not use the standard contract will not be penalized,” said Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良), director of the council’s Foreign Workers’ Administration.
However, the contract could be mandatory in future, Tsai said.
“But we hope [foreign workers and hiring agencies] will use the contract because the conditions stated in the contract are the outcome of discussions between the CLA, labor experts and representatives from industry groups, agencies and non-governmental organizations,” he said.
The standard contract specifies items for which recruitment agencies may charge or should provide refunds; permissible methods of payment; payment schedules; penalties in case the terms of the contract are violated; ways in which a worker’s personal information may be used, and other details.
The contract can be used between foreign workers and international recruitment agencies or between agencies and employers of foreign workers.
The contract is available in English, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai and will soon be posted online at www.evta.gov.tw.
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