TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Migrant worker associations organized a protest in Taipei on Sunday, calling on Taiwan to abolish the limit on working years for foreign caregivers and factory workers.
The march was organized by the Taiwan International Workers Alliance, starting outside the Ministry of Labor and finishing in front of the Legislative Yuan. Hundreds of foreign workers gathered to demand equal labor rights, calling on the ministry to abolish the work limit, reported CNA.
Under the Employment Services Act, migrant caregivers can typically only work in the role for 12 years, with provisions implemented in 2015 that may allow extensions up to 14 years. Foreign worker groups argue that the limit violates the basic rights of workers, many of whom have settled to build lives in Taiwan.
After working legally for 12 years, if extensions are not approved, foreign workers are forced to leave Taiwan to return to their home country. Some protestors dressed as packages of meat, comparing the 12-year limit for employment to the shelf-life of products in a supermarket.
Other protestors at the event wore props in the shape of bombs on their back, with the character for year on the back, suggesting their desire to destroy the limit on working years, per CNA.
For many years, migrant workers and advocacy groups have protested the limit on working years along with the brokerage system, which has been criticized as unfair and abusive. In recent years, the government has adopted measures to allow foreign workers to transfer into mid-level skilled positions, allowing them to pursue permanent residency.
To combat labor shortages, the government has expanded the categories of employment available to foreign laborers, while also introducing an online platform to promote direct hiring. Currently, there are approximately 850,000 foreign laborers in Taiwan, and the number is expected to grow as Taiwan becomes a super-aged society.
In October, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that the government is conducting a labor force review to assess recruitment standards and how to improve conditions for foreign laborers. The government is expected to announce findings and new measures in the near future.
