New Indonesian caregiver union launched in Taipei

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Serikat Buruh Industri Perawatan Taiwan (SBIPT), a union made up of Indonesian caregivers working for Taiwanese families and nursing homes, officially launched Sunday in Taipei.

SBIPT director Fajar said that over the past four months, she helped recruit 40 members to pass the legal threshold in Taiwan of at least 30 members and meet the requirement to set out the articles of association needed to be formally registered as a union.

Asked by CNA why many Indonesian workers in Taiwan do not seem to care about being unionized, Fajar said it is due to the fear of getting into trouble with migrant worker employment agencies in Taiwan, resulting in them losing their jobs.

For SBIPT to grow and advocate for worker's rights, more Indonesian caregivers need to be introduced to the importance of unions, Fajar said.

Many Indonesian caregivers love to sing karaoke, so in the future, the SBIPT may hold karaoke events at which it can inform Indonesian caregivers of the benefits of being union members, she said.

Kevin Chang (張郁) from the Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) agreed, saying that most migrant workers in Taiwan only think of unions when they encounter trouble.

To address this problem, some migrant worker rights groups have organized online meetings on migrant caregivers' day off to raise awareness among Indonesians of the importance of unions when it comes to, for example, advocating for a raise in domestic caregivers' minimum wage, Chang said.

As domestic caregivers in Taiwan are not protected by the Labor Standards Act, they receive a minimum monthly wage of NT$20,000 (US$625.3), much lower than the minimum wage of workers in other sectors, which is currently NT$27,470, and many of them only get one day off a month or in some cases no day off, he said.

Chang added that his organization played an assisting role in the establishment of the SBIPT, offering it help to officially register with Taiwan's government, educating members about the purpose of unions, and ensuring they understood Taiwan's laws and regulations on unions.

A number of Taiwanese labor rights groups were present at the launch to show their support, including the Alliance of Educare Trade Unions and Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions.