The Ministry of Labor is soliciting public input on possible procedures to allow undocumented migrant workers to re-enter the labor force legally, Deputy Minister of Labor Chen Ming-jen (陳明仁) said on Thursday last week.
On Monday last week, General Chamber of Commerce chairman Paul Hsu (許舒博) said that Cabinet officials had discussed allowing about 80,000 migrant workers who absconded from their legal employers to return to formal work rather than immediately deporting them.
Chen said he has received positive and negative opinions on the proposal, which would require amending laws.
Photo: Taipei Times
The ministry has no policy for reintegrating undocumented migrant workers, but has a duty to fully assess the matter and gather input from stakeholders and the public, he said.
The ministry heard from representatives at a meeting on Wednesday last week, and it is still undergoing the review process to determine how to address the matter, he said.
Lawmakers have in the past month cited data from the National Immigration Agency that as of September Taiwan had more than 88,000 migrant workers who had contravened their employment contracts to work elsewhere. Most of those workers — 56,449 — are Vietnamese.
Some lawmakers have called it a national security issue, accusing the government of inaction.
Chen said the ministry would evaluate Taiwan’s domestic labor situation and present a report to the government after the Lunar New Year, adding that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) have stressed that the policies must first protect the rights of Taiwanese workers.
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