The Council of Labor Affairs recently issued official letters to industrial associations and local governments to emphasize that Taiwanese nationals and foreign workers who have similar jobs should not be treated differently.
The council cited Article 42 of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), which says that no employment of foreign workers may jeopardize employment opportunities for nationals, their employment terms, economic development or social stability.
FAILURES
The council recently drew widespread criticism for failing to protect the jobs of Taiwanese, who are often forced to take unpaid leave during production slowdowns, while foreign workers keep regular working hours because their salaries are lower.
The council said the act would only apply to Taiwanese nationals and foreign workers who have similar job descriptions.
Under the same working conditions, if a Taiwanese national was told to take unpaid leave or was laid off while a foreign worker kept his or her job, it would be a violation of the act and the employer could face a fine.
INVESTIGATIONS
Local labor bureaus will send officials to investigate if they receive complaints from workers reporting employer violations.
Violators of the act will be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000.
In related news, the council intends to amend regulations that require manufacturers to import foreign laborers within six months of gaining approval.
A council official said that under the current Employment Service Act, manufacturers are required to bring in foreign workers within six months of the approval, although some flexibility is allowed under special circumstances.
Some manufacturers recently petitioned the council to extend the six-month period, saying they had obtained approval last year to import workers.
But because of the economic slowdown, their demand for workers was not that urgent.
In response, the official said the council was drafting a plan to extend the six-month period on condition that the rights of local laborers is not compromised.
This means that “those employers should not lay off local laborers during the extended period,” the official said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was