According to [Radio Taiwan International], helping 50,000 undocumented migrant workers join the epidemic prevention network, legislators call for “expansion of voluntary self-report” project.
On July 14, Taiwan People's Party (台灣民眾黨) legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶), invited migrant workers groups to discuss with the government about undocumented migrant workers, and the implementation of the “expansion of the voluntary self-report project”, to provide these workers Covid-19 support, to prevent them from causing a breach in epidemic prevention.
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People’s Party legislator Lai Hsiang-ling and groups that support migrant workers jointly called on the government on the 14th to strengthen the incentives to attract undocumented migrant workers to self-report, and to revise the rule that employers cannot be changed. Photo/Retrieved from Lai Hsiang-ling Facebook page
On July 14, People’s Party (民眾黨) legislator Lai Hsiang-ling held a press conference on "Establish a Strong Epidemic Prevention Program, and quickly review and discuss regulations for undocumented migrant workers”. Lai Hsiang-ling pointed out that as early as February 2020, 32 Indonesian care givers were infected with Covid-19. At present, it is estimated that there are about 50,000 undocumented migrant workers in Taiwan, and the government is requested to consider how to get them vaccinated and to let them join the Taiwan anti-epidemic network.
Taiwan International Workers’ Association (TIWA, 台灣國際勞工協會) researcher Wu ching-ju (吳靜如) pointed out that even legal migrant workers are prone to discrimination against epidemic prevention, what more the illegal migrant workers. Wu Ching-ju said: “The current undocumented migrant workers, 32 Indonesians and those from the recent Wanfang Hospital incident, were actually taking care of patients. This shows Taiwan’s lack of manpower for long term care.
In this situation, if they cannot be allowed to continue to work legally, it does not explain why they became illegal in the first place. However, they continue to make their contributions as care givers, and we should not discriminate so we can help with epidemic prevention. So, I feel that the first thing is to let them regain their legal status; and second, is to revise the rule disallowing change of employers.”
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Lai Hsiang-ling said that there are many possible reasons for illegal part-time work. Taiwan lacks the proper system to allow them to voluntarily come out and to provide them epidemic prevention support. She called on the Ministry of the Interior (MOI, 內政部) to study and discuss the incentives that can attract undocumented migrant workers. Also, to implement the “expansion of the voluntary self-report project” to allow undocumented migrant workers to join Taiwan's anti-epidemic network smoothly.
