Taiwan's Ministry of Labor Says It Won't Rush to Open Doors to Indian Workers in Response to Public Petition

(CNA, Reporter Wu Hsin-yun, Taipei, 10th) A public proposal in April to indefinitely halt the introduction of Indian migrant workers received over 40,000 endorsements. After approximately two months, the Ministry of Labor formally responded today, reiterating that there are two preconditions for their introduction: demand from businesses and an implementation plan from the source country that meets Taiwan's requirements. The ministry stated it will not rush to open up.

On April 3, the public proposed on the Public Policy Network Participation Platform to "request the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Labor to immediately halt the plan to introduce Indian workers and prioritize the protection of domestic public safety and a gender-equal environment." The proposal quickly met the threshold within a week, with over 44,623 people endorsing it.

The proposal demands that the Executive Yuan instruct the Ministry of Labor to indefinitely suspend the introduction of Indian workers until an effective public safety risk control plan, beyond just a certificate of good conduct, can be presented. If the government insists on the introduction, it should establish a review mechanism superior to the current good conduct certificate system. Furthermore, if a major sexual assault case occurs involving an introduced worker, there should be a "circuit-breaker mechanism" to immediately terminate the introduction of all workers from that country.

In response to the proposal, the Ministry of Labor formally stated today that the preconditions for announcing India as a new source country for migrant workers include demand from the business sector and the source country's implementation plan being able to meet Taiwan's requirements. If these requirements are not met, the opening of the source country must be carefully considered.

The Ministry of Labor stated that it will conduct careful assessments and strict gatekeeping. If there is no specific demand from the business sector for Indian migrant workers, or if the plan fails to meet Taiwan's relevant requirements and review points, it will not rush to open up. It also added that there is no timetable for the proposed plan, and India has not yet been announced as a source country for migrant workers. Before any such announcement, no one is permitted to introduce Indian migrant workers.

The Ministry also said that regarding the issue of unaccounted-for migrant workers, it has been continuously cooperating with the Ministry of the Interior's National Immigration Agency and the National Police Agency. Through measures such as strengthening inspection mechanisms, promoting voluntary departure programs for overstayers, and source management, it is gradually reducing the number of unaccounted-for workers. In the future, it will balance domestic industry and actual needs, strengthen management and counseling measures, and continue to improve relevant actions through inter-ministerial collaboration to address the situation of absconding migrant workers.

Finally, the Ministry of Labor stated that all policies regarding the introduction of new source countries for migrant workers are evaluated according to relevant procedures. It will continue to enhance information transparency and explain the basis for evaluations and policy planning to the public in a timely manner. In the future, it will also widely solicit opinions from all sectors, including civic groups and expert scholars, through various channels to enhance policy transparency and social consensus.

The implementation guidelines for the Public Policy Network Participation Platform stipulate that the responsible agency has two months to process and respond to a successful proposal. However, if the agency cannot complete the response within this period, it may be extended for a period not exceeding two months, and the reason for the extension must be explained on the platform. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150610