Worldwide Medical Insurance News: Expats protest for wage rise in Taiwan
14/09/10 15:23
Expatriate health insurance policyholders in Taiwan could be among those pushing for minimum wage rights for foreign workers.
Labour activists have been protesting against proposals to scrap minimum wage requirements for expat employees, as some businesses have spoken out about having to give their foreign staff pay rises.
According to the Taipei Times, around 1.2 million workers in the country, including 170,000 expatriates, receive the minimum monthly wage of NT$17,280 (£353). However, many thousands of expat employees do not receive this because their occupation is not included in minimum wage legislation.
Wuo Young-ie, spokesman for the Taiwan International Workers' Association, told the newspaper: "Many foreign workers already earn below minimum wage because they have to pay exorbitant brokerage fees and have room and board fees deducted from their salary."
He explained how many expatriate medical insurance customers end up with as little as NT$4,000 (£81) a month.
The protesters had some success this week, as the Council of Labor Affairs decided to raise the basic wage by 3.47 per cent to NT$17,880 a month, E-Taiwan News reported.
Moving abroad? Get a free quote for your international medical insurance online.
Other archived news itemsNeed help?
Please call one of our advisors on +44 20 3195 7481. Email us at info@exphealth.com or use our Call back feature
Third Floor, 36-38 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DE, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 3195 7481 Fax: +44 (0)870 428 5141 Email: info@exphealth.com
