Foreign labor may be allowed to work for waste treatment and recycling companies in Taiwan as early as March this year, according to a new proposal by the Ministry of Environment (MOENV).
The MOENV’s Resource Circulation Administration (RECA) plans to hold discussions on foreign workers potentially entering the sector with the Ministry of Labor’s (MOL) Workforce Development Agency, local governments and businesses on Feb. 11.
The RECA estimates that more than 660 businesses might hire over 1,000 foreign workers, if made eligible to do so.
Photo courtesy of Homei Township
Currently, companies in the waste treatment and recycling sectors cannot obtain a Factory Registration Certificate required to apply to hire foreign workers since they technically do not manufacture goods or possess a qualifying factory site, according to RECA Deputy Director-General Lin Chien-san (林健三).
The administration’s new initiative, however, would enable such companies to apply to hire foreign workers, so long as they offered a “starting salary of at least the minimum wage” and were not able to hire local Taiwanese workers for the positions, Lin said.
The RECA has already submitted its proposal to the MOL, and the Environment Ministry would be responsible for reviewing the applications of businesses seeking to hire foreign labor under the initiative, Lin said.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
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HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had