FOREIGN WORKERS DEMAND END TO AGENT SYSTEM|勞動節前夕 移工遊行促落實直接聘僱

On April 30, the day before Labor day, foreign migrant workers marched for their rights. The walked all the way from the ministry of labor to the presidential office yesterday afternoon, calling for the government to amend the law to improve working conditions and labor rights for migrant workers. Currently there are 600 thousand migrant workers in Taiwan, that's 1 to every 40 Taiwanese people, so they have become an integral part of the Taiwanese labor force. The Ministry of Labor Affairs says that it would review current policies to improve and protect their labor rights. On the day before Labor Day, foreign migrant workers marched with members of labor rights groups to the Ministry of Labor Affairs, requesting the elimination of private intermediary agencies and Article 53 of the Employment Service Act that forbids them to transfer to new employers freely. ==LIU HSIAO-YING, Dir. Hsinchu Catholic Diocese Migrants, Immigrants Service Cent.== The government is obliged to shoulder the responsibility to take care of migrant workers. The intermediary agencies should no longer exist to exploit foreign migrant workers. Am I right? Protestors then marched towards Ketagalan Boulevard to express their objection to the commercialization of long-term care services, demanding that President Tsai honor the promise to allow day-offs for workers providing long-term care services. ==CHEN JUNG-JOU Specialist, Taiwan International Workers' Association== If the buck of responsibility is passed to the market, the commercialization of long-term care services will replicate the current trend of wealth inequality. Disadvantaged workers will not be able to enjoy the social benefit or government resources. The Ministry stated that a service center had been put in place for employers to hire foreign workers directly. It also promised to review its policies and introduce new measures to protect workers from overseas. TRANSLATED BY：LUKE CHIANG 不少外籍勞工下午從勞動部遊行到總統府前，希望爭取更多勞動權益，包括廢除私人仲介制度，強制國與國直接聘僱，並希望讓外籍移工得自由轉換雇主等等主張。勞動部對此發出聲明表示，勞動部表示會在保障國人就業基本立場上，檢討外籍勞工保障措施。 外籍勞工要求國與國直接聘僱 外籍勞工敲著鼓，在五月一日勞動節前一天，在多個勞工團體帶領下，到勞動部前表達訴求，他們要求廢除私人仲介制度，要求國與國直接聘僱，讓外勞不用付仲介費，並且希望廢除就業服務法53條，外籍移工得自由轉換雇主。 ==天主教新竹教區移民及外勞服務中心主任 劉曉櫻== 那政府就應該有責任 自己扛起對於移工的照顧責任 不應該再用仲介制度 一次又一次的剝削 我們這些外籍勞工 大家說對不對 他們隨後走到總統府前的凱達格蘭大道，表達反對長照市場化，希望蔡英文總統能實現之前的承諾，讓從事長照工作的外勞也可以休假，保障他們的勞動權益。 ==台灣國際勞工協會專員 陳容柔 == 將這個責任推給市場 那我們可以知道 當這個長照市場化之後 就像我們目前的貧富差距一樣 沒有錢的弱勢的勞工 他還是沒有辦法 有這個社福的或者是政府的資源 來協助他們的家庭 對於相關訴求，勞動部表示已成立「直接聘僱聯合服務中心」，讓雇主不用透過仲介直接引進外籍勞工，另外也將檢討外籍勞工轉換資格、試辦聘僱外籍家庭看護工之雇主申請喘息服務等保障措施。 記者 張志雄 謝其文 台北報導