Labor

Regulations Requiring Migrant Workers to Have Employers’ Permission to Purchase Electric Bikes Criticized

Brian Hioe
Migrant worker advocates have reacted with anger against new regulations rolled out by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications requiring blue-collar migrant workers to have the consent of their employer in order to purchase electric bicycles. The new regulations began to be implemented on November 30th, with the form that employers need to fill out for their employees to purchase electric bicycles released on November 18th...
December 2022EnglishLaborRaceSocial Movements5 min read

Breakthrough News Program on Protests in China Proves Self-Contradictory

Brian Hioe
It was only a matter of time until tankies–leftist apologists for authoritarian regimes such as China or Russia–weighed in on the current protests in China. The most recent example of this in Anglophone discourse may be Tricontinental Institute researcher and Dongsheng News collective Tings Chak’s appearance yesterday on Breakthrough News’ “The Socialist Program.” The program was hosted by Brian Becker, founder of the ANSWER Coalition and one of the founders of the PSL...
December 2022EnglishLaborSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements11 min read

Miaoli County Officials Questioned Over Ugandan Students Forced to Work in Factories

Brian Hioe
Miaoli county Labor and Youth Development deputy head Tu Jung-hui was questioned by police earlier this month in connection with Ugandan students at the Chung Chou University in Changhua forced to work in factories. The investigation was carried out by the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Taichung Office...
August 2022EnglishLaborPoliticsRaceSocial Movements5 min read

Wage Hike for Migrant Workers Criticized for Limited Scope

Brian Hioe
Migrant workers and migrant worker advocates criticized a recent wage hike that would increase the minimum monthly wage for live-in migrant workers, who primarily work in homes taking care of the elderly, from 17,000 NT to 20,000 NT. Namely, though the wage hike increases the minimum monthly wage for live-in migrant workers by 17%, the wage hike is still 5,250 NT below the minimum wage in Taiwan, which is 25,250 NT...
August 2022EnglishLaborSocial Movements5 min read