The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Wednesday responded to criticism in a US Department of State human rights report about poor working conditions for migrant workers in Taiwan, saying that laws protect the rights of foreign workers and improvement efforts are ongoing.
The US’ 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices said that migrant workers in Taiwan generally face exploitation and incur debt burdens in the recruitment process, due to excessive fees, guaranteed deposits, and high airfare and accommodation costs.
“Brokerage agencies often required workers to take out loans for ‘training’ and other fees at local branches of Taiwan banks in their home countries at high interest rates, leaving them vulnerable to debt bondage,” the report said.
The ministry said that existing laws forbid local brokers to charge migrant workers brokerage fees, while employers are responsible for certain expenses incurred during recruitment, such as registration and service fees.
Fees for worker training, document processing and travel arrangements are regulated by the workers’ home country, the ministry said.
The report said that foreign fishers in Taiwan are commonly subjected to mistreatment and poor working conditions, while the ministry said that experts are reviewing policies to introduce improvements.
The report cited other discriminatory measures against migrant workers, such as instances during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were prohibited from leaving their dormitories other than for work.
Migrant workers could report contraventions of the guidelines to the “1955” hotline that it oversees, the ministry said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS