With concerns raised by some groups in Taiwan about the rising cost of hiring migrant caregivers for elderly and disabled people, TaiwanPlus asks Kaili Lee of the Garden of Hope Foundation about how much money migrant caregivers make and other challenges they face in Taiwan.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Your organization works with both documented and undocumented migrant workers, including caregivers.
00:06What are they telling you about why some of them choose to become undocumented?
00:11From my experience and from my chatting with the migrant workers, undocumented ones,
00:19they are saying that sometimes they were abused and they were overworked for several times,
00:30for a long time, and nobody helped them.
00:33And even they asked the assistance from the broker.
00:39Once you are suffering from that kind of violent situation, no matter sexual abuse or harassment
00:46or physical abuse, labor abuse, for a long time, you cannot stand.
00:51So finally, no one helped them. They ran away.
00:55How does the monthly pay for migrant caregivers in Taiwan compare to neighboring countries?
01:01The salary that migrant workers, especially care workers, get in Taiwan is around $670.
01:11Comparing to some countries in Singapore and Hong Kong, it's a bit higher.
01:18But we will say that in Singapore and Hong Kong, the salary, they can get a better salary once they are skilled
01:26or they can negotiate with an employer.
01:30But in Taiwan, I will say that the average and the minimum amount of salaries they get is that number.
01:39Always the same.
01:40Well, the minimum wage under Taiwan's Labor Standards Act is $850 a month.
01:46So are you saying they make even less than that?
01:48Migrant caregivers, yeah, they are paid less than minimum wage.
01:56And their salary won't increase over time?
01:59A bit increasing, a bit.
02:01Yeah, but not meet the minimum wage in Labor Act.
02:07And is that $680 or so enough to live on in Taiwan?
02:12If you want to have your life in Taiwan, I think it's a bit hard and difficult.
02:19If they don't need any entertainment, no personal life, and they always work on Sundays and holidays,
02:35I think, yeah, of course, you're doing nothing except from work.
02:43So for that kind of workers, they can save money and send home.