The Ministry of Labor yesterday said the monthly wage for foreign domestic helpers could be raised to NT$17,000 after being frozen for 18 years.
Deputy Minister of Labor Hau Feng-ming (郝鳳鳴) said the ministry would meet with officials from Indonesia, the Philippines and other labor-exporting nations later this month to discuss the matter.
“I have talked with the relevant nations almost daily on the matter,” Hau said.
He said the labor-exporting nations are taking a tough stance, demanding that wages be raised to NT$17,500, adding that he would invite officials from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand for discussions.
He said an increase in the monthly wage would take into consideration the value of food and lodgings provided by employers.
He outlined two possible options for a raise: One would be to follow the minimum monthly wage, with deductions for food and accommodation, while the other would be to raise the amount to about NT$17,000.
The national minimum monthly wage was last month increased from NT$19,273 to NT$20,008, but foreign domestic workers were not included because their pay is not covered by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
The monthly wage for the 220,000 foreign domestic helpers in Taiwan has remained at NT$15,840 for the past 18 years.
Hau said that if a hike happens, the new monthly wage would be applied to newly arriving foreign workers this year, while wages for those already in Taiwan would be coordinated with the employers.
Asked what would happen if the negotiations fail, Hau said the ministry would consider cutting the number of imported foreign workers or explore new sources of foreign workers.
Thirty-five earthquakes have exceeded 5.5 on the Richter scale so far this year, the most in 14 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Facebook on Thursday. A large earthquake in Hualien County on April 3 released five times as much the energy as the 921 Earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, the agency said in its latest earthquake report for this year. Hualien County has had the most national earthquake alerts so far this year at 64, with Yilan County second with 23 and Changhua County third with nine, the agency said. The April 3 earthquake was what caused the increase in
INTIMIDATION: In addition to the likely military drills near Taiwan, China has also been waging a disinformation campaign to sow division between Taiwan and the US Beijing is poised to encircle Taiwan proper in military exercise “Joint Sword-2024C,” starting today or tomorrow, as President William Lai (賴清德) returns from his visit to diplomatic allies in the Pacific, a national security official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said that multiple intelligence sources showed that China is “highly likely” to launch new drills around Taiwan. Although the drills’ scale is unknown, there is little doubt that they are part of the military activities China initiated before Lai’s departure, they said. Beijing at the same time is conducting information warfare by fanning skepticism of the US and
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
DEFENSE: This month’s shipment of 38 modern M1A2T tanks would begin to replace the US-made M60A3 and indigenous CM11 tanks, whose designs date to the 1980s The M1A2T tanks that Taiwan expects to take delivery of later this month are to spark a “qualitative leap” in the operational capabilities of the nation’s armored forces, a retired general told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview published yesterday. On Tuesday, the army in a statement said it anticipates receiving the first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks from the US, out of 108 tanks ordered, in the coming weeks. The M1 Abrams main battle tank is a generation ahead of the Taiwanese army’s US-made M60A3 and indigenously developed CM11 tanks, which have
RSS