Dozens of activists yesterday gathered in front of the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) building to protest against the government’s failure to protect the rights and benefits of about 2,000 “Republic of China (ROC) nationals without citizenship” living in Taiwan.
Tsai Chung-li (蔡忠理), an ROC national without citizenship, has lived and worked in Taiwan for more than 10 years. He is one of the many people born in the Philippines who hold Taiwanese passports but do not have legal residence status in Taiwan.
Workers such as Tsai, although in possession of ROC passports, are denied legal residence status because the government does not view them as “Taiwanese” and therefore denies them national ID cards. They are mostly born and raised in the Philippines, but hold ROC passports because their parents are ethnic Chinese.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Tsai’s arm was severed in November last year when it was pulled into a machine at a factory where he worked. However, because his employer did not insure the company’s workers as dictated by labor regulations, Tsai said he could not receive labor insurance compensation and occupational injury compensation that he would have received as a citizen.
Although labor regulations protect such uninsured workers by entitling them to apply for compensation in the event they become disabled from an occupational injury, Tsai’s legal status means he is denied such protection.
“It has been a year since my injury, but I have not received NT$1 in compensation for my arm,” said Tsai, adding that he hoped the labor insurance bureau would take a good look at the problems facing workers like him.
Lorna Kung (龔尤倩), executive director of the Scalabrini International Migration Network in Taiwan and consultant to the Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA), said there were about 2,000 ROC nationals without citizenship living in Taiwan. Because they are denied legal status to live in Taiwan, they must leave the country for at least one day every six months to renew their visas.
The association urged the government to extend labor rights and benefits to such nationals.
The council said officials would look into the matter and process Tsai’s case as soon as possible. It also said all employers must insure their workers under the national labor insurance plan, regardless of citizenship.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white