Many Mandarin teachers have been laid off by schools due to decreased numbers of students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taiwan Higher Education Union said yesterday, calling for public attention to the problem.
The union also received complaints from teachers who said that their dismissals by universities breached labor standards, the union told a news conference in Taipei.
A teacher surnamed Chiu (邱), who taught Mandarin courses at National Cheng Kung University, said that the school in early September asked seven part-time teachers to leave, citing the lower enrollment due to the pandemic.
Photo: CNA
The university promised it would rehire the teachers once more students enrolled, Chiu told the conference, adding that the school did not issue involuntary resignation certificates, nor pay them severance benefits.
The teachers had taught at the university for decades, Chiu said, adding that the school only issued inadequate certificates stating that it commissioned — not employed — the teachers.
Involuntary resignation certificates are required to apply for unemployment benefits.
While the school covered labor insurance fees, it did not contribute to the pension fund on their behalf, Chiu said.
The Ministry of Education after receiving the complaints asked the university for a statement on the case, but did not investigate further, Chiu said, adding that this showed that the ministry does not want to help resolve the issue.
Another teacher from a university in northern Taiwan, who only wants to be identified as P, said that teachers at her school were paid on an hourly basis, with hourly wages between NT$350 and NT$450, depending on a teacher’s highest degree.
After the pandemic hit, a teacher with a master’s degree only earned about NT$25,000 per month, P said.
Union director Lin Po-yi (林柏儀) said that Mandarin teachers are often highly trained professionals and language schools should not treat them as “disposable chopsticks.”
In response, the ministry said that language centers at universities should improve their standards for employing teachers.
The ministry pledged to conduct labor inspections at language schools, adding that future grant allocations would take into account labor standards.
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