I just saw that the Executive Yuan has apparently approved a draft bill from the MOI “to protect the rights of new immigrants”. There don’t appear to be very many details available yet, though I’m a bit skeptical of what it’ll end up being given the disappointingly dismissive ways that both the MOI and EY have responded to our previous complaints about some of the corresponding issues.
Anyway, I’m starting this thread for any discussions of the draft bill as details come through. The text of the EY press release is as follows:
To comprehensively enhance the well-being and rights protections of new immigrants and provide them with friendlier living environments, the Executive Yuan on Friday approved the Ministry of the Interior’s (MOI) draft bill for an act to protect the rights of new immigrants. The proposed act would establish a government body dedicated to managing these issues, as well as codify into law the promotion of various rights-related measures. The act aims to advance the rights and interests of new immigrants in the areas of employment services, culture and education, health and medical care, social welfare and participation in public life.
Premier Cho Jung-tai said the proposed legislation would signal to the world that Taiwan is open to foreign professionals with skills and capital, and welcomes them to put down long-term roots and ultimately become naturalized citizens. He instructed the MOI to proactively communicate and coordinate with all legislative caucuses once the bill is submitted to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation, in order to facilitate the bill’s swift passage and respond to the expectations of society.
Actually, I wonder if some of us might want to write to the Premier (quoted in the EY press release) to raise specific things we think should be included while the act is still in the discussion stage?
It would need to clear the KMT / TPP controlled LY to become law.
I wonder how much grandstanding there would be in that chamber about the need for / rights of spouses from the PRC? Will the KMT propose some modified counter version?
This would be a difficult bill to enforce as “immigrant’s” problems are handled by different levels of government.
What I would like to see:
A law requiring non-discrimination in housing. Won’t rent to a foreigner should be grounds for a ball-busting lawsuit.
A general non-discrimination act. Seems petty but too many night clubs and bars are still doing the no foreigners thing.
Banking reform. ARCs should be good enough to open accounts online.
Equity in employment benefits such as pensions.
The right to organize in the workplace. This is especially going to be important for Western English teachers as Taiwanese get over their racism and hire more Filipinos. They absolutely decimated the English teaching industry in Japan. Won’t someone think of the buxiban bros!
Regarding the presence and work of Filipinos in Taiwan: why don’t they also deserve rights and respect? You refer to their work “decimating” an industry in Japan. Taiwan’s will be affected by demography much like Japan’s, much more so than the participation of Filipinos.
They deserve rights and respect. But they will also drive down wages, which are already quite stagnant for teachers and barely livable as they are. This isn’t an attack on individual people, just one group standing up for their own interests. This is no different from tech workers in the U.S. calling on D.C. to limit the issuance of H1-B visas.
Migrant workers push down wages. This is why the government has minimum wage requirements to sponsor work permits for ARCs.
English teaching workplaces need to organize to ensure that wages don’t degrade further. If the supply of teachers suddenly explodes because locals realize that a neighboring country, which is also a developing nation, speaks a version of English wages in the field are going to collapse.
Let’s have this discussion focus on the rights for foreigners to organize in their workplace. Not something else.
Sure but without them companies won’t find workers and will shut down which will also lead to lower wages. Just look at Japan. Everything in moderation. We need immigrants and they/we deserve equal rights. Don’t let them in if you don’t want them but once in they should be equal. At least as on principle, I understand it won’t be possible in practice.
Been hearing that for decades. Still hasn’t happened. Also you need young graduates to innovate in science and tech too. If you can’t produce them yourself, import them. The example again is Japan which fell behind on tech too.