Home carers take grievances to labor ministry

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Foreign home care workers and supporters stage a protest outside the Ministry of Labor building in Taipei yesterday, demanding legal protections over working hours and holidays akin to those given to other workers.

Photo: CNA

Bearing multilingual signs, several dozen migrant workers and labor activists rallied outside the Ministry of Labor in Taipei yesterday, demanding the inclusion of foreign home care workers in the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) to better protect their vacation rights.

“Domestic work is work; labor standards cover all” the protesters shouted in Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Foreign home care workers, who mostly come from Southeast Asia, tend to work 14 to 18 hours a day to provide care for families with elderly or bedridden members, the protesters said, adding that they rarely get days off.

Unlike other migrant workers employed in the industrial or maritime sectors, the 220,000 foreign home care workers in Taiwan are not covered by the act, which caps working time at 84 hours for every two weeks.

While labor officials have said it would be difficult to include home care workers in the act because their work hours are difficult to calculate, critics say this is an excuse for employers to deny migrant workers their vacation rights.

Betty Chen (陳容柔), a labor rights advocate for migrant workers and member of the Taiwan International Workers Association, said that since home care workers are always in the home, it should easy for their employers to determine the hours they have put in.

Chen cited a case involving a home care provider who recently sought help from the association’s shelter for migrant workers.

The worker suffered a mental breakdown after having to provide care for both a centenarian and her employer — a terminally ill cancer patient — for eight months straight with no vacation, Chen said.

“Some carers work for three years straight without getting a day off,” Chen said, adding that even though some employers might sympathize with their employee’s heavy workload, they feel they cannot allow their elderly or ill relatives to go without a helper.

Three Vietnamese employees at a retirement home in New Taipei City, Le Minh Duc, Kieu Thi Chinj, and Nguyen Thi Thuong, said foreign care providers there work more than 12 hours a day and only get one day off a month, with NT$808 deducted from their monthly salary of NT$21,000 for the day they were not at work.

“Whenever we voice our complaints, our employer tells us to go back to Vietnam if we are unhappy about our working conditions,” said Le, who has worked in Taiwan as a care provider for eight years.

Each carer at the home has to look after several seniors, harvest bamboo shoots, work in the vegetable garden and carry large barrels of urine to the fields, Kieu said.

Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Deputy Director-General Hsieh Chien-chien (謝倩蒨) said the ministry “faces difficulties” to provide legal protection for home care workers.

However, employees of retirement homes are considered industrial employees and are covered by the Labor Standards Act, so they can report their employers for violations of the law, Hsieh said.

In a bid to improve the working conditions of home care providers, the Executive Yuan is evaluating a draft domestic worker protection act (家事勞工保障法) that would guarantee a weekly day off, Hsieh said.

However, Chen questioned the ministry’s efforts, saying that the act was proposed by labor groups more than six years ago.

Ex-toll workers protest over alleged police persecution

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Former freeway toll collectors protest in front of the National Police Agency in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Former freeway toll collectors yesterday protested in front of the National Police Agency in Taipei to back their accusations of police persecution, saying that more than 100 former toll collectors were summoned to police stations for questioning after a demonstration last month on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (National Freeway No. 1).

Participants in last month’s protest, which blocked several lanes of the freeway, each received a traffic ticket with a NT$6,000 fine, amounting to more than NT$600,000, members of the Freeway Toll Collector Self-Help Organization said.

Following the nation’s transition to an electronic, distance-based toll system, about 1,000 toll collectors lost their jobs.

Labor activist Wu Jing-ru (吳靜如) said the group plans to launch a fundraising campaign to pay the fines, which are due next month.

She also called for lawyers to volunteer to help the protesters fight possible legal charges.

The group has threatened to occupy parts of the freeway again on Friday next week — a day before the nine-in-one elections — if the government does not provide a satisfactory solution.

“We hope the government does not become an accomplice in acts of persecution and force us to engage in more extreme forms of protest,” the organization’s director-general, Sun Hsiu-luan (孫秀鑾), said.

The group also announced plans to start an eight-day hunger strike on Thursday in front of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) headquarters in Taipei.

Police officials dismissed the persecution allegations, saying that the traffic fines were levied “according to the law,” and urged protesters to stay clear of freeways.

Ex-Hualon workers deliver ultimatum

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Wearing their signature yellow jackets with the word “anger” written across their chests, former Hualon Corp workers demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Labor in Taipei yesterday, threatening further protest action if they do not meet with Minister of Labor Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) within two days.

The former workers said they will protest at the Taipei Railway Station if Chen fails to hold a meeting with them by tomorrow, hinting that they may paralyze station operations by occupying the train tracks, a tactic used by other protesting labor rights groups last year.

“Chen Hsiung-wen has time to stump for candidates at campaign rallies, yet he is unable to meet the workers in person,” said Hualon Self-help Organization secretary Hsu Jen-yuan (徐任遠), a student at National Taiwan University.

The protesters retired from the bankrupted textiles manufacturer about a decade ago and say that they are each owed NT$1 million (US$32,500) in unpaid pensions.

At yesterday’s rally, representatives from the organization restated their rejection of the ministry’s proposal last month to partially compensate the reiterated workers through donations from banks.

“Since the ministry seems confident that next year’s auction of Hualon’s Toufen (頭份) plant [in Miaoli County] would provide sufficient funds to pay the outstanding pensions, it should provide the retired workers with full compensation first and take their place as a creditor of the company,” Hsu said.

Halfway through the rally, laid-off freeway toll collectors arrived at the ministry building by bus, fresh from holding a protest of their own at the National Police Agency to join the ex-Hualon employees’ demonstration and express solidarity with their cause.

At one point, the former Hualon staffers set fire to a makeshift tower made from cardboard boxes that had “Money for our coffins” written on it, to symbolize what they see as the ministry’s complete disregard for their pensions.

Elsewhere in the city, Chen told reporters that although he is willing to hold a meeting with the workers, he refused to engage in any negotiations that were initiated “under a threatening tone.”

“How can this be a civilized way to act?” he said at the Legislative Yuan, where he was attending a meeting.

The former workers should conduct negotiations with the “proper etiquette,” Chen added.

He seemed unable to escape the issue, as Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋菫) then lambasted him over the matter during a question-and-answer session at a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, demanding in a proposal that the ministry hold a meeting on the Hualon case within two weeks.

Committee members voted in favor of Tien’s proposal, which stipulates the attendance of both Chen and representatives from the Hualon Self-Help Organization

Labor groups stage ‘Autumn Struggle’

‘YEAR OF THE TURD’:Protesters held rallies, swarmed the MRT and protested at DPP and KMT headquarters, and the National Development Council, urging ‘economic democracy’

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Protesters in front of the National Development Council in Taipei yesterday burn banners representing policies and practices that are unfavorable to workers, farmers and students.

Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

• 1
 
• 2

After convening at three rallies held in different locations across Taipei, nearly 1,000 protesters carrying flags and banners swarmed the MRT yesterday to participate in the Autumn Struggle (秋鬥), an annual protest march organized by labor groups, congregating in Ximending (西門町) before marching on to protest in front of the National Development Council.

The train ride was included as part of the protest as a critique against the “capitalist values” the MRT represents, protest organizers said, adding that although most might see the trains as a symbol of urban development, they also function as a “transportation belt” to “send overworked employees into the hands of their employers every day.”

As the three processions moved through the streets in rainy weather, protesters shouted slogans including “We want economic democracy with the workers in charge” and “Citizens take a left turn, return the nation to the people” over the rhythmic beat of makeshift drums made from empty water barrels.

The annual event, first held in 1993 by the Committee for Action on Labor Legislation and later by its successor movement Raging Citizens Act Now, focuses on different labor rights-related themes each year, and acts as a rallying call for many activist groups to express their outrage toward government policies that they say are skewed toward capitalists and large corporations.

This year, organizers accused the newly formed National Development Council of “single-minded pursuit of economic development” and its proposal to establish free economic pilot zones — special territories with reduced tariffs and other trade incentives — which the organizers say would exacerbate economic inequality and increase unjust cases of land seizures.

The initial three rallies, which started at noon, invited participation from more than 60 activist groups to participate according to three themes: land rights or movements against forced expropriation projects; labor rights advocates; and student groups campaigning against the privatization of higher education.

Scuffles with police occurred when land rights activists attempted to enter the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters to protest what they say is the party’s inaction in protecting people against land expropriation projects, with the protesters leaving banners that labeled the party “The Regressive Party” before leaving.

The protesters also gathered in front of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien’s (連勝文) campaign headquarters, bestowing on him a large inscribed placard that read: “[For your] contribution to luxury mansions,” a sarcastic reference to Lien’s residence in The Palace (帝寶) — the most expensive piece of real-estate in Taiwan — as well as his alleged connections with wealthy corporations.

The three processions gathered at the Ximending MRT station at about 3pm, crowding the platforms before streaming out to attend a joint demonstration outside.

The day’s events ended with the activists marching to protest in front of the National Development Council while carrying a large fake turd over their heads — an allusion to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) vow to create a “golden decade (黃金十年)” of economic development, which in Mandarin, is pronounced similarly to “golden year of the turd (黃金屎年).”

People with disabilities rally for employment rights

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Protesters lie down at the intersection of Zhongxiao W Road and Zhongshan S Road in Taipei yesterday during a rally aimed at bringing attention to the inconveniences experienced by people with disabilities.

Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times

Several hundred physically or mentally impaired people and their supporters took to the streets of Taipei yesterday, calling on the government to establish an antidiscrimination law to uphold equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The annual event was held by a coalition of civic groups representing a broad spectrum of disability rights, including advocates for blind, deaf and mentally or physically impaired people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocates joined in, saying that they stood in solidarity with other underprivileged and discriminated groups.

This year’s event focused on demands for the government to uphold equal employment rights for physically or mentally impaired people in the job market, with participants calling for an end to discrimination.

Following a rally in front of the Ministry of Labor building, participants marched through central Taipei, ending the event with a gathering on Ketagalan Boulevard, in front of the Presidential Office Building.

Organizers specifically designed the event to enable the full participation of different groups, with dozens of protesters on wheelchairs involved and a sign language interpreter signing throughout the event.

At one point, the demonstrators lay down on the road at the intersection of Zhongxiao E Road and Zhongshan N Road, stopping traffic for 10 minutes, as they demanded their voices be heard.

“Having a steady job is important in maintaining the integrity of physically impaired people, but we often do not have that opportunity in the first place,” disability rights advocate Weng Yu-ling (翁玉玲) said.

One participant, nicknamed Hsiao-wen (小聞), said he faced discrimination as a hard-of-hearing person.

He said that his employer, a public sector agency, was willing to employ him only on a contract basis for six months at a time, asking him to find employment elsewhere for three months at the end of each stint before they would employ him again.

Other participants said businesses often canceled scheduled job interviews once they learned about their disabilities.

Those with jobs said that physically impaired employees were often limited to positions as interns or part-time staff, and often had difficulty getting promoted, even if they excelled at their job.

Physicians rally for better working conditions, hours

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Physicians protest outside the Ministry of Labor yesterday, demanding their inclusion in the Labor Standards Act. The protesters made handprints in blood on a “great white tower” — the name of a 2006 Taiwanese soap opera called “The Hospital” in English — as a symbol of their excessive workloads.

Photo: Huang Pang-ping, Taipei Times

Clad in white lab coats, several civic groups representing the rights of physicians and medical students demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Labor yesterday, demanding the inclusion of physicians in the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).

The Medical Labor Conditions Reform Group, the main organizer of the demonstration, said many physicians and medical interns work more than 90 hours per week, which has led to several cases of overwork-related deaths and injuries in the past few years.

“Never again do I want to see another one of our senior physicians collapsed on the floor in an operating theater,” said Chen Yu-jen (陳宥任), a resident physician at Taipei Veteran’s General Hospital, with red paint splattered across his lab coat to symbolize the blood of overworked physicians.

Harsh working conditions for doctors could also take its toll on the quality of care provided for patients, with a higher risk of misdiagnosis or surgical accidents, Chen added.

The wife of Tsai Po-chiang (蔡伯羌), a former surgical resident at Chi Mei Hospital in Greater Tainan, said her husband, who often worked at the hospital for more than 30 hours straight, collapsed outside an operating theater five years ago.

He survived, but was unable to recognize his wife and children after regaining consciousness, and has since suffered further memory problems.

Medical interns also cope with long hours, working 10 shifts per week — ranging from 80 to 100 hours — while receiving a monthly allowance of just NT$12,000, National Cheng Kung University final-year medical student Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔) said.

While physicians have been demanding protection from the Labor Standards Act for more than a decade, pushing to cap working hours at 84 per fortnight and stipulate government labor inspections, health authorities have been reluctant to comply, saying that if the act includes physicians, a shortage in professional medical services could occur.

Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director-General Liu Chuan-min (劉傳名) said that although the ministry supports the physicians’ cause, according to assessments made by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with only 1,300 medical students graduating each year, it could take three to 16 years before there are enough physicians to grant them shorter working hours.

Aside from physicians, a small number of other professions are not included in the Labor Standards Act, such as teachers at private institutions, athletes and household caretakers, making up less than 5 percent of employees nationwide.

Union urges action over childcare worker wages

MAKEUP RULES:One worker said her pay was docked whenever she did not wear lipstick, with more cuts made when she did not apply makeup after a break

By Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter, with CNA

Childcare workers suffer from excessive overtime and low wages, the National Federation of Teacher’s Unions said yesterday, urging the government to inspect private childcare institutes, which they say often fail to observe labor regulations.

A majority of childcare workers in central and southern Taiwan earn less than NT$22,000 per month, although they work more than 13 hours a day, representatives from the federation said at a news conference.

Federation secretary-general Liu Ching-hsu (劉欽旭) said that employers often make unreasonable demands of childcare workers and dock their pay if they do not comply.

“Many private preschools charge high tuition fees, yet are incredibly stingy toward their employees,” Liu said.

Liu said employers often cut their workers’ pay using a variety of excuses such as when a pupil transfers to another school, when dust is found on school floors and in one case when a female employee did not wear a dress to work.

One childcare worker, who preferred to be known as Miss A, said NT$50 was deducted from her pay whenever she forgot to wear lipstick to a former workplace.

Further deductions were made when she forgot to reapply lipstick or makeup after lunch, she said.

Federation deputy director Yen Jia-chen (顏嘉辰) said childcare workers in the north are usually paid NT$26,000 to NT$28,000 a month before deductions, while certified preschool teachers at public institutions receive entry-level pay of NT$39,000 per month.

The fact that many childcare workers are not certified preschool teachers makes it more difficult for them to fight for reasonable wages, the federation said.

In September, private childcare institutions voiced their opposition to a proposed amendment to the Early Childhood Education and Care Act (幼兒教育及照顧法), which stipulates that all private preschools should employ at least one certified preschool teacher.

Only 30 percent of childcare facilities nationwide are publicly owned, while 70 percent are private institutions, according to statistics provided by the Childcare Policy Alliance.

At the news conference, the Ministry of Education said it would continue to encourage childcare facilities to improve working conditions for employees through official evaluations and financial rewards, as well as promote the establishment of nonprofit preschools.