Name: Migrant Workers Rally For Their Voices To Be Heard | The Real Issues | TaiwanPlus News
Uploaded: 2023-12-13T01:35:04.000Z
Duration: 3 min 3 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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Villar is frustrated at the way migrant workers like her are treated in Taiwan is protesting ahead of elections that will decide the country's next president and legislature hoping something will change because our migrant workers cannot vote here.

So we are doing the rally to have our voice to listen by the government.

Villars stands with other migrant workers calling for an end to what they see as unfair labor practices and discrimination and how they are treated here has become an election issue because tens of thousands more are needed to keep the economy going.

Migrant workers make up 3% of Taiwan's population coming mostly from Indonesia.

They work in factories and the semiconductor industry that powers Taiwan's economy and they care for the country's growing elderly population.

But tens of thousands of migrant workers lose their legal status when they leave an employer often in search of higher wages or to avoid broker agency fees and poor treatment.

Hoyo y the candidate for the main opposition party, the Guomindang has proposed an amnesty for them promising they would not be fined or deported to ease Taiwan's labor shortages.

Another opposition candidate Ken J says migrant workers should be able to get a new job within the same industry.

But the ruling democratic progressive party's candidate, Vice President Lai Qing De is focused more on attracting foreign professionals to help improve Taiwan's competitiveness.

Mostly Westerners who don't face frequent police checks like workers from Southeast Asia.

Observers say whoever wins the election in January, how migrant workers are treated could affect Taiwan's relations with Southeast Asian nations.

It's more important, I think just from a civil rights perspective for people to be treated well.

But yes, it does have a knock on effect on the image of the country.

Activists aren't holding out much hope for better treatment but say a democratic society needs to look after all its members no matter which parties they care nothing about the migrant workers issue.

So we don't really expect anything from the candidate or the election.

If we don't take care of the minority, if we don't pay attention to the rights of the minority, the society won't be at all.

Equally, a strong economy is a priority for all the presidential candidates.

And for that, they need migrant workers to fill the gaps in the workforce.

 So even without the ability to vote, the voices of those who come to make their living in Taiwan count Lucy Lee and Louise Watt for Taiwan. 