Organizations supporting migrant workers have been organizing rallies in front of the Ministry of Labor, while there have been op-ed submissions printed in the Taipei Times, all calling on employers to grant migrant caretakers one whole day off every seven days.
While these demands sound reasonable, these organizations are not telling the public the whole truth, because they are promoting their own interests.
They make specious accusations, resulting in the misunderstanding that employers are treating migrant workers harshly by not allowing them to take days off and not paying them overtime.
These accusations are not true and depict Taiwan as a country where migrant workers are mistreated.
To defend Taiwanese employers against these unfounded allegations and to help the ministry get rid of the constant interference from migrant worker advocates, it is necessary to disclose the truth.
This is the only way to solve the issue once and for all, and to do justice to employers, whose treatment of migrant workers ranks among the best in the world.
The monthly wage paid to foreign caregivers in Taiwan is NT$17,000, which is higher than the equivalent in Hong Kong of about NT$15,000, NT$12,000 in Middle Eastern countries, and NT$15,000 in Singapore.
Normally, the employment contracts signed by both parties stipulate that caregivers receive four days off for every month, which is equal to one day off every seven days. If the days are not taken, the employer must pay overtime for the four days.
The monthly wage for the same job in the migrant workers’ home countries is about NT$1,500, which means that they would have to work for one year to earn as much as they do in Taiwan in one month. Their NT$2,200 overtime pay for four days off exceeds the monthly income in their home countries.
When recruiting foreign caregivers from their home countries, Taiwanese employers must subsidize their training in Taiwan — which ranges between NT$10,000 and NT$20,000 — and declare that they will pay overtime pay for four days of leave.
An employer has to pay a monthly wage of NT$19,000 plus health insurance fees if they want to hire a foreign worker.
After foreign workers arrive in Taiwan and start working, most employers grant them at least one day off every month, while still paying them four days of overtime.
This is the whole context. If this is mistreating migrant workers, what are other countries doing so much better?
Most employers of foreign caregivers are underprivileged and economically disadvantaged families with elderly or challenged family members that need care.
They are struggling daily to make ends meet, and they are hardly capable of responding to the allegations from migrant workers’ rights groups.
Hopefully, this detailed explanation helps to do justice to employers and the ministry will take these underprivileged families into consideration when drafting amendments to the relevant legislation, making Taiwan a true model nation for human rights.
Steve Kuan is a former chairman of the Taipei and New Taipei City Employment Service Institute Association.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
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