VZCZCXRO4408
PP RUEHHM
DE RUEHIN #0905 0790158
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200158Z MAR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9182
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3203
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4909
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 3048
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 3826
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 9694
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 0558
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9115
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0041
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6104
RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8504
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5067
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHLC/DHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000905 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR G/TIP, EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS LABOR TRAFFICKING 
 
REF: TAIPEI 0787 
 
¶1. Summary: AIT, G/TIP, and EAP/RSP visitors met with 
officials at the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) on 13 March 
to discuss labor trafficking, government initiatives to 
address TIP, and complaints raised by local NGOs (reftel). 
The CLA told AIT that it will increase labor broker 
standards, give workers more freedom to change employers, and 
develop a program to include domestic workers under the Labor 
Standards Law (LSW).  The Executive Yuan (EY) at the 
beginning of the year also directed each ministry associated 
with TIP to address trafficking and adopt polices to combat 
it.  End summary. 
 
¶2. Taiwan is working to ensure all foreign workers are 
covered by the LSW, which guarantees certain rights such as 
minimum wage, health care, and time off.  The CLA's Deputy 
Chief for Employment, Lin San-quei, told AIT that most of the 
327,000 foreign workers in Taiwan are covered by the LSW. 
Only domestic workers and caretakers, he noted, are exempt 
from the LSW.  Lin told AIT that the CLA is developing a plan 
to either cover domestic workers under the LSW or to create a 
separate law for domestic workers that offers the same 
protections as the LSW. 
 
¶3. The CLA is also raising labor broker standards and 
inspection procedures.  The CLA's Lin told AIT that in order 
to protect workers from broker abuses, the CLA will increase 
the number of broker inspectors from 110 to 240 by the end of 
¶2006.  Previously, the CLA reviewed broker standards every 
two years and placed them into five categories based on 
quality ranging from A to E, with A being the highest and E 
the lowest.  This year the broker categories will be reduced 
to three (A to C), and brokers previously ranked in the D or 
E categories will now have to improve their standards or lose 
their license to import workers. 
 
¶4. Taiwan authorities are also working to give foreign 
workers more flexibility in changing employers.  In the past, 
Lin explained, if a company went bankrupt or had to break a 
worker's contact, only employers could opt to hire the 
worker, who had no choice in the matter.  Under new 
guidelines, the CLA will allow workers to have an equal say 
in choosing a new employer.  The CLA will also increase the 
number of consulting centers, which offer assistance in 
changing jobs and support to foreign workers, from 24 to 60 
by the end of the year. 
 
¶5. Taiwan is also establishing additional mechanisms to 
address TIP protection.  CLA officials told AIT and 
Washington visitors that the EY in January directed all 
ministries handling trafficking issues to develop new 
policies to combat TIP.  Brokers will be required to provide 
workers with translations of their contracts in their native 
language to avoid misunderstandings regarding salary and 
broker fees, as well as contract fraud.  In addition, new 
policies will be adopted to allow workers to stay in Taiwan 
and continue working if they are involved in a protracted 
legal case against a broker.  If the case can be solved 
quickly, the CLA will refer workers to shelters for care if 
needed until they leave Taiwan. 
YOUNG