Plans to open Taiwan further to migrant workers from India would meet the needs of local industries and could be done without labor brokerage firms, the Ministry of Labor said in a press release yesterday, adding that it would work closely with stakeholders to make regulatory changes as needed.
Ministry officials said the press release was to refute comments by some politicians claiming that the ministry would allow 100,000 migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan, opening to door to huge financial benefits for labor brokerage firms that have close relationships with government officials in the pan-green camp.
“Taiwanese industries are facing a labor shortage and there are too few source countries to meet demand,” the statement said. “A memorandum of understanding signed recently would make India a new source of workers, providing additional choices for companies with such needs.”
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
The program has three main ways to bring in workers, it said.
Companies can recruit on their own, hire through public-sector service centers or go through labor brokerage firms, it said.
This is how firms hire migrant workers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, the ministry said.
“There is no compulsion to use labor brokerage firms,” it said.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) on Monday told a talk show that “the Democratic Progressive Party has close relationships with several labor brokerage firms ... so they can gain huge financial benefits through reciprocation in the form of political donations.”
“When Indian workers go through the process, they would have to pay a large amount up front before traveling to Taiwan, with most of the money going to politicians in Taiwan and India or labor brokerages,” Tsai said.
He also repeated allegations that the ministry has agreed to allow 100,000 Indian workers into Taiwan.
Ministry officials warned the public not to repeat “disinformation” about cashflows and the “100,000” figure.
“Indian workers have qualities that fit the needs of Taiwan’s labor market, being diligent, resilient and highly rated by many employers,” the ministry said.
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