Social workers held a mock pudu (普渡, “universal salvation”) ceremony yesterday — the first day of the Ghost Month — in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taipei to protest work safety issues.
The groups presented the ministry a list of demands, which the ministry said it would look into.
Taipei Social Workers’ Union deputy director Shen Yao-yi (沈曜逸) said that in interviews the group conducted, it found that the top three reasons social welfare workers quit their jobs were the politicizing of the social welfare sector, the multitude of unreasonable tasks they were asked to do and the lack of resources to support their efforts.
Photo: CNA
During the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers were asked to distribute masks and assist other epidemic prevention efforts, adding that these requests cut into their duties, preventing them from providing immediate service to the people who needed them.
Social workers said that the computer software that is critical to the operations of social safety net programs was also burdensome, and that sometimes to meet their “coverage rate,” a worker had to selectively click and include certain indices.
“This task is making it harder for us to help those we need to serve,” Shen said.
Many local governments are tasking social welfare workers with additional jobs, while depriving them of the time to obtain necessary certification, forcing social workers to rely on government programs plagued with red tape, Shen said.
The groups urged the ministry to re-evaluate government requirements and social safety net programs, adding that regulations should be imposed that require social workers to have certain qualifications and certifications.
The government should heed the voice of the workers and set up periodic meetings with the unions to discuss and understand the needs of workers, the unions said.
The ministry would carefully consider the unions’ suggestions and continue to work with the public and private sectors to understand the needs of workers, Department of Social Assistance and Social Work Director-General Su Chao-ju (蘇昭如) told a news conference after the event.
The ministry and the unions will together safeguard workers’ rights and uphold the quality of service provided, Su added.
The seventh month of the lunar calendar is traditionally known as Ghost Month, when the gates of the underworld are opened to let spirits loose for a month to be among the living, according to Taiwanese tradition.
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