Philippine govt may deny workers access to Taiwan
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The Philippines government's labour bureau may deny the right of Filipino workers to work for Taiwan-based companies in light of current labour dispute between the two nations. The dispute broke out after the Philippines government requested Taiwanese emp
According to CNA, an anonymous Filipino official said the Philippine government will “close the Taiwanese market” for Filipino workers if Taiwan does not accept recent demands concerning workers in the home-care sector. According to the official, this was to protect the Filipino workers’ labour rights.
According to the Council of Labour Affairs (CLA), in early November Rosalinda Baldoz, the Philippine secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, requested Taiwanese employers pay the expenses of workers hired in the home-care sector. This includes labour dispatch agency fees, travel documents, air fare and health-check fees. The CLA refused the requests, calling them “unreasonable”.
The CLA released a statement yesterday saying Taiwan has other options besides Filipino workers and that these expenses should not fall on the shoulders of employers. An estimated 90,000 Filipinos currently work in Taiwan, of which 20,000 are domestic helpers.
