Taiwan and the Philippines on Monday negotiated several key issues regarding the welfare of Philippine workers in the nation, but agreed on a limited number of topics.
The annual Taiwan-Philippines Joint Labor Conference was hosted in Taipei this year.
Now in its eighth year, the conference covered issues such as outstanding medical expenses, fishery worker hiring fees, jobs at dairy farms and caregiver training.
The Philippines agreed to set up contact channels in northern, central and southern Taiwan so that its representative office can help local authorities resolve any outstanding medical expenses incurred by Philippine workers, including those who have absconded from their workplaces, the Ministry of Labor said.
The countries agreed to continue discussing issues related to fees incurred in the hiring of Philippine fishery workers to protect the interests of employers and employees, the ministry said.
The fees in question include brokerage fees, which the Philippines has suggested should be covered by Taiwanese employers instead of workers.
Regarding an announcement earlier this year that the government would allow local dairy farms to hire migrant workers, the ministry said the two sides would continue to hold talks to iron out the details so that Filipinos can work in the sector.
The two sides also discussed the training Philippine caregivers have to receive before arriving in Taiwan.
The Philippines agreed to organize a tour of the training courses for the Taiwanese delegation at next year’s conference in Manila.
The ministry said it would continue to improve work-related safety measures to guarantee the welfare of Philippine workers.
The meeting was led by the ministry and included representatives from the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment, and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Council of Agriculture and National Immigration Agency also took part.
According to labor ministry statistics, 156,248 Philippine migrant workers were in Taiwan as of the end of last month.
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