The Ministry of Labor said it plans to extend its part-time caregiver services to families employing foreign caregivers by the end of this week.
The reforms were proposed in response to longstanding criticism of a lack of vacation rights for foreign caregivers — who mostly come from Southeast Asian nations.
Families employing foreign caregivers are currently banned from applying for respite care services — short-term assistance from public sector or non-profit caregivers to care for elderly or ailing family members.
Under the new initiative, Taiwanese who hire foreign caregivers will be allowed to apply to non-profit organizations to hire additional caregivers for various chores — such as bathing and feeding an individual — and pay the institutions per chore or per hour.
Ministry officials said the new measure would alleviate the burden on foreign caregivers as it would allow them to take days off.
According to a survey released by the ministry in December last year, more than 70 percent of foreign caregivers in Taiwan are given no vacation time, usually because the patients or elderly people under their care require round-the-clock assistance.
Household caregivers in Taiwan — domestic and foreign — are not covered by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), which stipulates a maximum of 84 working hours per two weeks.
Foreign Labor Management Division head Lai Jia-jen (賴家仁) on Friday said that several non-governmental organizations and caretaking centers across the nation have agreed to participate in the plans to provide respite care services.
However, the new plans have also provoked criticism from labor rights activists, who claim that the reforms would do little to guarantee days off for foreign caretakers, as employers would not be legally obligated to provide time off.
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