Officials from the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei yesterday confirmed that two negotiators from the Indonesia's Department of Manpower and Transmigration arrived in Taipei last night to negotiate a lifting of the Council of Labor Affairs' (CLA) embargo on the importation of Indonesian workers.
"According to the minister of the Department of Manpower and Transmigration, they sent two experienced negotiators to Taipei to seek a solution for lifting the CLA's embargo," Supono, vice chairman of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei, told the Taipei Times.
Supono said that he was unclear about the negotiators' proposals, but emphasized they would stay until the problems are solved.
CLA officials yesterday also confirmed that they were notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) that the Indonesian government was sending negotiators to Taiwan, but further details about the negotiation are unknown.
"We'll hold a preliminary discussion with the negotiators before the official negotiation at the ministry tomorrow, since we have learned nothing about them. The MOFA and Indonesian representative office failed to offer further information about the negotiations and negotiators," Kuo Fang-yu (郭芳煜), director-general of the CLA's Employment and Vocational Training Administration, said in a phone interview with the Taipei Times.
Kuo emphasized that the council's stance on the matter remains unchanged.
"We are still willing to talk to the Indonesian government, but the most important thing is that we receive clear proposals to solve the problems we have raised," Kuo said.
The MOFA refused to confirm its notification to the CLA and declined to offer any information regarding the negotiation.
The CLA announced a halt to the importation of workers from Indonesia at the end of July, claiming that the Indonesian government had not made any attempt to solve the problem of the increased rates of its workers' absence from Taiwan.
It also cited the fact that, unlike other governments of countries supplying migrant workers, Jakarta requires employment brokers to retain a bond NT$3,000 per month from the wages of Indonesians, which is payable to the employee at the end of his or her contract.
Supono said he is confident that the problems can be solved.
"Both Taiwan and Indonesia rely on each other a lot over the matter. Despite miscommunications between the two authorities, which led to the CLA's Aug 1 halt, I believe that the two sides' negotiators will communicate well and find a solution to benefit Indonesian workers, Taiwanese employers, the two governments and even the two countries' brokers," he said.
He also confirmed that the sending of the envoys by his government was connected to Vice President Annette Lu's (
"Everything is connected," he said.
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