A ban on on-site factory dormitories is not to be imposed any time soon, because it would require amendments to the regulations, which must be preceded by inter-ministerial discussions, the Ministry of Labor said on Thursday.
Workforce Development Agency section head Hsueh Chien-chung (薛鑑忠) said the agency would have to coordinate with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the amendments.
In May and June, various non-governmental organizations staged protests about worker housing safety issues, after two factory fires claimed the lives of nearly a dozen migrant workers in factory dorms this year.
One of the demands made by the protesters was for worker dormitories to be relocated a safe distance from factories.
The Ministry of Labor is working on new regulations to ban on-site factory dormitories and also to penalize businesses that do not implement proper safety measures for migrant workers, Hsueh said.
If approved by the legislature, the amendments to Articles 54 and 72 of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) would lower the quota of foreign hires by five for every migrant worker death resulting from negligence by the company, he said.
In the case of injury to a migrant worker, the quota would be reduced by one worker for each incident, Hsueh said, adding that the ministry would provide more details next week.
There were 699,379 migrant workers in the nation as of last month, the latest government statistics showed.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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