Migrant workers took to the streets of Taipei on Sunday, calling for equal treatment of long-term caregivers in Taiwan. The protesters largely came from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, the countries of origin of most of Taiwan’s foreign labor. Members of workers’ rights groups were also on hand.
In particular, the protesters were calling on the three presidential candidates to announce their positions on the issues of long-term care.
The Taiwan International Workers’ Association’s Wu Jing-ru said that even though the elections are just around the corner, none of the candidates have mentioned anything in their platforms about domestic caregivers. Wu said that there are more than 100,000 migrant workers in Taiwan who are providing domestic care 365 days of the year, with no vacations.
The protesters are also calling for an end to the current private brokerage system in favor of a direct nation-to-nation hiring system. Organizers say that would allow migrant workers the freedom to change employers. They also want to see the end to a rule that requires them to leave Taiwan for at least one day at the end of a standard three-year contract.