NGOs call for revision to Old-Age Benefits rules for migrant workers

Taipei, Aug. 28 (CNA) Migrant worker rights groups on Wednesday called for a revision to the current Labor Insurance system to make it easier for migrant workers to claim retirement benefits at the end of their employment contracts.

The Serve the People Association (SPA) in Taoyuan held a forum in Taipei on Wednesday highlighting the issues facing migrant workers in the Labor Insurance system, which manages the payout of their Old-Age Benefits.

Under current rules, people who reach the age of 60 and have been covered by Labor Insurance for less than 15 years can claim the benefits as a lump sum.

Women who retire over the age of 55 and those who retire after hitting 60, whose Labor Insurance coverage dates back to before Jan. 1, 2009, and who have been insured for at least one year are also eligible to claim the lump sum.

However, under the current migrant worker employment rules, blue-collar migrant workers who are not domestic caregivers can only work in Taiwan for 12 years before they have to leave the country, the SPA said in a statement.

Moreover, past Labor Ministry statistics showed most migrant workers in Taiwan are aged 25 to 44 and leave the country between the ages of 45 and 50, the SPA added.

Lennon Wang (汪英達), director of migrant worker policies at SPA, said that the problems are compounded by the fact migrant workers have shorter life expectancies than Taiwanese people, so applying the same age rule is unfair.

In his experience, Wang said, most migrant workers do not even know how to claim the lump sum, and they have to pay a processing fee equivalent to thousands of New Taiwan dollars if they want to have the lump sum transferred to them after they return to their home country.

Robert Owen Ganado, a researcher at SPA, said an online system through which they can apply for and receive the benefits should be implemented.

He added that the establishment of support offices in migrant workers' home countries by the Taiwanese government, permitting non-governmental organizations and representatives to claim the lump sum on a worker's behalf, and introducing improvements to Taiwan's Labor Insurance system by modeling it after those in Japan or Germany would make the benefits more accessible to migrant workers.

Chung Ping-cheng (鍾秉正), a law professor at the National Defense University, suggested that the government introduce a legal revision to the current system to allow migrant workers to claim the lump sum whenever they choose to dissolve their contracts or when their contracts expire and they have to leave Taiwan.

Under the current system, workers contribute 20 percent to their Labor Insurance premium, employers 70 percent, and the government 10 percent, Chung said.

Migrant workers should be allowed to claim at least 90 percent of the aggregated premiums paid by themselves and their employers, Chung added.

Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲), vice chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission and Cesar L. Chavez Jr., director of migrant workers services at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, were also present at the forum and gave speeches to voice their support for the SPA's demands.

In response, Lee Hui-an (李蕙安), a section chief at the Ministry of Labor (MOL), said that she would relay the opinions given at the forum to the MOL as a reference for future policymaking.

However, she defended the current rules, saying that having the same Old-Age Benefits rules for Taiwanese and foreigners helps to eliminate discrimination.

Chiu Mi-chu (邱咪珠), a section chief at the Bureau of Labor Insurance, said as long as the applicant's identification documents and application form are complete, up-to-date, and validated by the competent Taiwanese agency in their home country, "there shouldn't be so many issues."

Other civic groups, including the Rerum Novarum Center, the Garden of Hope Foundation, and the Taiwan International Workers' Association also attended the event.