The Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei (IETO) has called on white-collar Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan to officially register in an online system to receive the same benefits extended to blue-collar Indonesian workers.
IETO yesterday held an event to publicize a pilot program that was initiated on Oct. 17 to encourage white-collar workers to register in the system set up by the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI).
In doing so, Indonesians who hold professional foreign worker status can access the same benefits as Indonesians engaged in manual labor, IETO Deputy Representative Zulmartinof said at the event.
Photo: CNA
These include Indonesian migrant workers’ social security coverage and US$500 exemptions in customs duties when they send or carry goods back to Indonesia up to three times a year, Zulmartinof said.
Under the Law of the Republic of Indonesia on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers passed in 2017, all Indonesian migrant workers are required to be registered in the BP2MI system, he said.
By registering overseas workers, the Indonesian government can better provide migrant workers with assistance in the event of work-related incidents, health issues or death, Zulmartinof said.
However, until now the Indonesian government had mostly focused on registering manual workers who “required more attention,” he said.
Indonesia has the third highest number of white-collar workers in Taiwan, after Malaysia and Japan, and if the pilot program proves successful, the Indonesian Ministry of Labor would implement similar programs in other countries, he said.
So far, only 19 Indonesian professional workers have been registered out of 5,947 of such workers in Taiwan, the office said.
Most of these white-collar workers acquired the status of “professional foreign worker” after they graduated from a Taiwanese university or graduate institution, the office said in a statement.
They work in Taiwan’s engineering, higher education, journalism, translation and hospitality sectors, among others, the office said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS