Council of Labor Affairs deliberates ways to lower cost of foreign labor.

TAICHUNG

CNA (April 22, 2001)

Council of Labor Affairs Chairwoman Chen Chu expressed the hope that the Labor Standard Law will be amended to lower wages for foreign workers.

Chen made the expression at a seminar recently in Taichung on how to improve Taiwan's economy.

Chen said she will coordinate with legislators to amend the Labor Standard Law so that only domestic workers enjoy the protection of the basic wage and wages for foreign workers are decreased.

Chen said that wages of foreign workers in Singapore and Hong Kong are lower than that of Taiwan. At present, only foreign workers in Taiwan enjoy the protection of the basic wage, which now stands at NT$15,840
(US$495).

She said that before the current law is amended, the CLA will adopt a policy in which foreign workers' accommodations and food will be included in their basic wage, thus leading to an average decrease of NT$3,000-4,000 in the monthly costs of employing them.

Additionally, the CLA also plans to curtail unreasonable brokerage fees that foreign labor brokerage companies charge foreign workers, so that they will be able to keep more of their wage.

However, Chen Shen-hsien, director of the CLA's Labor Conditions Department, said the CLA will not take the initiative of filing an admenment to the Labor Standard Law. Instead, the CLA may ease the burden of employers of foreign workers in other ways, such as including accommodation and food fees into their basic wage, the official said.

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