NGOs demand Taiwan provide insurance for domestic migrant workers

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) A coalition of migrant worker rights groups rallied outside the Ministry of Labor (MOL) Sunday on the eve of International Domestic Workers' Day to urge the government to extend labor insurance coverage to approximately 200,000 migrant domestic workers in Taiwan.

Under Taiwan's law, workers covered by labor insurance are entitled to benefits in cases of occupational injury, disability, death, and childbirth. Employers with five or more employees are required to enroll them in the labor insurance program, and coverage is mandatory for migrant fishers.

Although many migrant workers in Taiwan are covered by labor insurance, domestic helpers and live-in caregivers -- who provide in-home care for the elderly or infirm -- have been excluded from the policy since Taiwan began recruiting such workers in 1992.

"We are workers who clean your homes, cook your meals and care for your children and elderly," a Filipino live-in caregiver who wanted to be identified as Carol said at the protest.

"But when we get sick or injured, who will take care of us?" Carol asked.

Noting that domestic workers often work long hours and physically assist the elderly in their care, Carol said that denying live-in caregivers labor insurance protection is "unfair and inhumane."

Marni, an Indonesian worker from the migrant caregiver union SBIPT, said that live-in caregivers are currently only covered by Labor Occupational Accident Insurance, which partially reimburses medical expenses incurred from work-related injuries.

However, since domestic workers are not covered by the Labor Standards Act, they are not entitled to sick leave. This, combined with their lack of labor insurance, means they receive no income or benefits while recovering from major illnesses, putting their families' financial well-being at risk, she said.

Other NGOs that joined the protest organized by the Domestic Caretaker Union included the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan, the Rerum Novarum Center, the Serve the People Association, and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights.

In response, Chuang Kuo-liang (莊國良), deputy head of the Workforce Development Agency's Cross-Border Workforce Management Division, explained that under Taiwan's law, employers with fewer than five employees can decide whether to provide labor insurance for them.

If the government were to require employers of domestic migrant workers to provide labor insurance, it would need to revise the Labor Insurance Act. In that case, the government must consider the opinions of both employers and workers, Chuang said.

For now, the MOL will continue to gather and carefully weigh the opinions of the two sides, he added.