Migrant workers’ rights advocates yesterday rallied in support of protections for the nation’s caregivers, the majority of whom are women who make on average only NT$17,000 per month.
To mark International Women’s Day, the Migrants Empowerment Network in Taiwan gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor in Taipei calling for stronger legal guarantees for vulnerable caregivers.
Most caregivers in Taiwan are women, but their work is not covered by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), the group told a news conference at the protest.
Photo: CNA
Ministry data last year showed that 74.3 percent of caregivers reported not receiving any time off work, it said.
In the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 34 percent did not receive time off, meaning there are about 70,000 caregivers who have not had a break for years, it added.
Monthly salaries are also creeping further away from the minimum wage, which this year is NT$25,250, while the average caregiver only made NT$17,000, the group said.
That is a difference of NT$8,250, setting a new record, it said.
The cost of employing a caregiver is borne by individual households, but they should be incorporated into the government’s long-term care and social welfare system, Taiwan International Workers’ Association specialist Betty Chen (陳容柔) said.
That would ensure that labor protections are afforded to migrant caregivers under the law, while also improving the quality of care, Chen said.
A domestic services bill has been proposed to protect workers’ rights, but it has not been passed into law, she said.
The government next month is to begin a “migrant worker retention” program intended to keep longer-term residents in medium-skill positions, but the reality is that many employers do not have or are not willing to pay NT$24,000 per month to caregivers as required under the plan, she added.
Taiwan is in dire need of caregivers, but the government has not considered that the retention problem is due to a lack of labor protections, Chen said.
Improving regulations would naturally result in better retention, meaning that its “migrant retention program” would be unnecessary, she said.
That involves passing a domestic services act; ensuring a minimum salary, maximum working hours and days off; and directing public funds to families in need of long-term care, she added.
The ministry in response said that owing to the “obvious differences” inherent in caregiving work, it is difficult to apply the Labor Standards Act.
In addition, no consensus has yet been reached on a dedicated act covering the work, it said, vowing to continue implementing measures to protect the rights and interests of caregivers.
Migrant caregivers and their employers are already required to sign a contract before the worker comes to Taiwan stipulating rest days, with a minimum of one day off every seven days, the ministry said, adding that it is continuing to discuss wage adjustments with the workers’ countries of origin, taking into account changing salaries within Taiwan.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS