Group calls on MOL to axe employment stabilization fee

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) A civic group on Tuesday called on the Ministry of Labor (MOL) to abolish the monthly "employment stabilization" fee of NT$2,000 (US$61.56) collected from families who recruit migrant caregivers after a care recipient scores below a certain level on the Barthel Index.

The International Association of Family and Employers with Disabilities on Tuesday held a news conference in Taipei to raise awareness about the issue, which it characterized as being equivalent to levying a "handicap tax."

The monthly fee is intended to fund "employment stabilization" measures when a family hires a migrant caregiver due to the potential negative impact such a move could have on the job opportunities of Taiwanese caregivers.

However, in reality, few, if any, Taiwanese citizens work as live-in caregivers, Tung Wen-hsun (童文薰), chief executive officer of the International Association of Family and Employers with Disabilities, told the news conference.

Heidi Chang (張姮燕), president of the association, said the employment stabilization fund has often been misappropriated to pay cash rewards to people who report absconded migrant workers to the authorities and to purchase flight tickets to deport such migrant workers after they are found and detained.

In a statement, the association demanded that families with seriously ill members who score lower than a certain level on the Barthel Index, used to determine whether a person qualifies to be cared for by a migrant caregiver, should be exempted from paying the employment stabilization fee.

As of Tuesday night, the MOL had not responded to CNA's request for comment on the association's demand that the fee be cancelled.

The MOL in October last year relaxed eligibility rules on recruiting live-in migrant caregivers and waived the requirement of a Barthel Index score for people who have been using long-term care services for at least six months consecutively, those diagnosed with early-stage dementia, and people with certain disabilities, such as individuals who experience severe difficulty breathing or difficulty swallowing.

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), who attended the news conference, expressed support for the association's demands and accused former Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) of misusing the fund.

According to local media reports, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) accused Hsu of spending taxpayers' money to hold a "concert" in Kaohsiung to mark the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Gender Equality in Employment Act, at which she sang for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said his investigation found that Hsu spent NT$3.56 million from the employment stabilization fund on the event, according to media reports.

The association called on lawmakers across party lines to launch a probe into how the fund has been spent.

Asked to comment on the controversy surrounding Hsu, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said Monday that the existing system is in need of a "strict review," adding that an investigation is required to get to the bottom of the allegations.