TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of Labor, Hsu Ming-chun, announced plans on Thursday (April 25) to increase penalties for illegal employment of migrant workers, in response to a significant rise in the number of missing migrant workers in recent years.
Hsu Ming-chun stated that the Ministry of Labor intends to change the legislation to enhance punishments for illegal employment during a briefing to the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee. The amendment's main goal is to make the Employment Services Act more punitive and deter illegal hiring and brokering of foreign labor.
The proposed amendment forbids brokerage companies and employers from keeping records on foreign workers and job seekers. It also extends from two to five years the application process for firms with a history of improperly managing migrant workers. If an employer is proven guilty by a court of causing bodily harm to foreign workers, they will never be permitted to recruit these workers again.