Guidelines on migrant worker pregnancy, childcare rights due in January: MOL

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Wednesday it is set to publish in late January 2025 guidelines that better inform female migrant workers in Taiwan of their rights and those of their children.

The guidelines are a compilation of existing government measures that fall under the jurisdiction of several agencies and cover needs that may arise during pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, according to the ministry.

Chen Shih-chang (陳世昌), acting director-general of the ministry's Workforce Development Agency (WDA), said at a news conference that the guidelines will cover migrant workers' occupational rights -- for example, their employment contracts cannot be unilaterally altered when they are pregnant.

There is also information on call centers that can be contacted if they have any questions about their pregnancy, as well as a reminder about the importance of adopting contraceptive measures, Chen said.

The guidelines will be distributed physically at local women and children activity centers and during house calls by social workers, as well as on the LINE app and via the 1955 hotline which migrant workers use to file complaints, Chen added.

The regulations will be translated into English, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Thai, Chen said, adding that a Chinese-language version will also be available for employers and labor brokers.

Asked whether the services outlined in the guidelines also apply to unaccounted-for migrant workers, Chen said the services do not differentiate.

However, asked whether the guidelines include any directives asking medical institutions not to report unaccounted-for migrant workers who seek medical attention, discouraging many from seeking necessary help, Chen said that issue is still being discussed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior.

Meanwhile, Su Yu-kuo (蘇裕國), head of the WDA's Cross-border Workforce Management Division, said the WDA is also considering offering childbirth subsidies to foreign domestic helpers and caregivers to partially cover the expenses of raising their children in Taiwan or their home country.

Migrant domestic helpers and caregivers are not protected by the Labor Standards Act and thus are not entitled to childbirth subsidies, Su said, adding that this issue was recently raised by lawmakers at the Legislature.

The WDA is discussing criteria for migrant workers to qualify for the subsidies with the health ministry, Su added.