TAIPEI, March 12 (Bernama): Indonesia and Taiwan are scheduled to hold a fresh round of talks later this month in a bid to resolve a dispute over the latter's pending policy on placement fees for its migrant workers, Minister of Labour Hsu Ming-chun has announced, according to the Central News Agency.
Hsu said the discussions will follow similar talks last December, which failed to reach a resolution on Indonesia's new policy that will require Taiwanese employers to pay part of the placement fees for Indonesian migrant workers.
"Another virtual meeting will be held before the end of this month," Hsu told reporters in Taipei, when asked about the issue.
The new policy, first announced in July 2020, is aimed at easing the financial burden on Indonesian migrant workers, the Indonesian government said.
It would require employers of Indonesian migrant workers to cover several types of fees, including passport costs, return airfares, visa and work permit fees, health check costs, and transportation and accommodation costs in the destination country.
The policy, which applies to Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and 10 other destinations, was due to be implemented in January but was later postponed to July.
Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL), however, has made it clear that it will not accept the terms of the policy, saying they were unilaterally decided by the Indonesian government.
After their virtual meeting last December, government officials of the two countries had scheduled a similar meeting for Jan 14, but it was canceled at the last minute by the Indonesian side.
Hsu said Thursday that while Taiwan is continuing discussions with Indonesia on the issue, it is also considering bringing in workers from other countries. - Bernama
Hsu said the discussions will follow similar talks last December, which failed to reach a resolution on Indonesia's new policy that will require Taiwanese employers to pay part of the placement fees for Indonesian migrant workers.
"Another virtual meeting will be held before the end of this month," Hsu told reporters in Taipei, when asked about the issue.
The new policy, first announced in July 2020, is aimed at easing the financial burden on Indonesian migrant workers, the Indonesian government said.
It would require employers of Indonesian migrant workers to cover several types of fees, including passport costs, return airfares, visa and work permit fees, health check costs, and transportation and accommodation costs in the destination country.
The policy, which applies to Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and 10 other destinations, was due to be implemented in January but was later postponed to July.
Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL), however, has made it clear that it will not accept the terms of the policy, saying they were unilaterally decided by the Indonesian government.
After their virtual meeting last December, government officials of the two countries had scheduled a similar meeting for Jan 14, but it was canceled at the last minute by the Indonesian side.
Hsu said Thursday that while Taiwan is continuing discussions with Indonesia on the issue, it is also considering bringing in workers from other countries. - Bernama
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