ARRIVING migrant home-based caregivers and household service workers in Taiwan and those signing new contracts with their employers are now entitled to a higher monthly minimum pay, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Sunday.
This, after Taiwan’s labor ministry approved the 17.6-percent pay hike for migrant workers, the first granted by the government since 2015, according to a report from Labor Attaché Cesar Chavez Jr. of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Taipei.
With this, the minimum wage committee of the Ministry of Labor has now pegged the monthly pay for migrant workers at NT$20,000 (US$665.70) from the previous NT$17,000 (US$565.90) a month.
Migrants normally receive NT$8,250 lower than Taiwanese care workers. The new rates took effect on August 10, so migrant workers who had signed a contract with their employer prior to the date are not covered by the new rate.
“The labor ministry has also advised Taiwanese employers that in order to encourage worker retention, salaries should be increased by NT$1,000 after three years and another NT$1,000 for workers who are six years in service,” Chavez said in his report.
A monthly government subsidy worth NT$3,000 for the next three years or a maximum of NT$108,000 will also be extended to low-income and low-middle income employers to help them pay the new wage rate to their workers.
Chavez said that for Taipei alone, the POLO processed about 2,400 requests for caretakers and household workers from May to August 9.
“It is estimated that around the same number of OFWs will be benefited directly by the wage increase,” Chavez said.
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