Some 2,000 migrant workers and labor groups took to the streets in protest on Sunday, calling for the swift passage of an amendment to the Employment Services Act.
At the heart of the protest is a clause which requires migrant workers to leave Taiwan for one day every three years. They say that requirement forces workers to undergo a complicated application process and pay high brokerage fees to labor brokers in order to return to Taiwan.
The legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee voted to erase the requirement back in June. The measure has also seen broad cross-partisan support. However, it has been stalled in the legislature ever since it passed the initial reading, due to pressure from labor brokers.
The Taiwan International Workers’ Association is the group which organized Sunday’s protest. It is calling on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has a majority in Taiwan’s legislature, to stop stalling on the issue.
Sunday’s march began with a stop at the Democratic Progressive Party headquarters, followed by a stop at a union for labor brokers, before arriving at the legislature in mid-afternoon.
Migrant labor organizations say that labor brokers have been disseminating false news stories about an increase in runaway workers and rising placement costs, in an effort to create a perceived threat to the community.
They groups say, though, that cancelling the requirement for laborers to leave Taiwan every three years would actually benefit both workers and their employers. Labor groups say it would reduce both employee training costs and the exploitation of migrant workers, creating a win-win situation.