Serikat Buruh Industri Perawatan Taiwan (SBIPT), a union of Indonesian caregivers working for Taiwanese families and nursing homes, officially launched on Sunday in Taipei.
SBIPT director Fajar said that over the past four months, she helped recruit 40 members to meet the legal threshold of at least 30 members, while establishing the required articles of association needed to be formally registered as a union.
Asked why many Indonesian workers in Taiwan do not seem to seek unionization, Fajar said it was due to the fear of getting into trouble with migrant worker employment agencies, which could result in them losing their jobs.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook page of Taiwan International Workers’ Association
For SBIPT to grow and advocate for workers’ rights, more Indonesian caregivers need to learn about the importance of unions, she said.
As many Indonesian caregivers enjoy singing karaoke, the union might hold karaoke events at which it can inform Indonesian caregivers of the benefits of the union, she said.
Taiwan International Workers’ Association (TIWA) member Kevin Chang (張郁) agreed, saying that most migrant workers in Taiwan only consider joining a union when they encounter trouble.
To address the problem, some migrant workers’ rights groups have organized online meetings with migrant caregivers to raise awareness among Indonesians of the importance of unions when it comes to issues such as advocating for raising the minimum wage for domestic caregivers, he said.
As domestic caregivers in Taiwan are not protected by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), they receive a minimum monthly wage of NT$20,000, much lower than the minimum wage for workers in other sectors, which is NT$27,470, and many of them only get one day off a month or in some cases no days off, he said.
The TIWA assisted the SBIPT in becoming a union, offering it help to officially register with the government, educating members about the purpose of unions and ensuring members understood Taiwan’s laws and regulations, Chang added.
Members of several Taiwanese labor rights groups attended the launch to show their support, including the Alliance of Educare Trade Unions and the Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions.
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