00:05Marching for change, thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei on Labor Day to demand
00:10better insurance and retirement benefits so they can provide for themselves and their families
00:15in later life. These groups, from sanitation workers to telecom employees to migrant caregivers,
00:22all face their own challenges at work. But at this march, they're uniting in hopes the
00:27government will hear their calls for a peaceful retirement after decades of hard work. And
00:32they want to make sure legislators know that any benefits should be distributed equally.
00:59There are around 800,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, mostly from Southeast Asian countries like
01:05Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. They work in jobs like caregiving, manufacturing and fishing,
01:12helping Taiwan's industries amid a labor shortage due to a rapidly aging population.
01:16But they're also a vulnerable group, facing high broker fees and even issues based on the type of
01:23work they do. Domestic caregivers are also making contributions to society. But protections like
01:31their labor insurance are only given to regular workers, while domestic caregivers are generally
01:36not considered a typical worker. Migrant workers call for action throughout the year. And one long-time
01:42advocate says change is coming, especially with pressure from international watchdogs and foreign
01:48governments to keep Taiwan's labor practices clean.
01:52Currently, we see there are some new promises. So actually, we hope we welcome this kind of positive
01:59intervention from foreign governments or foreign brands. And we need them to push Taiwan further
02:06to really eradicate forced labor. But from the turnout of the march in Taipei, it's clear that people
02:12here are putting pressure on the government too. And they're hoping that as Taiwan relies more and
02:18more on migrant labor to fill unwanted jobs and take care of the elderly, they can use this momentum
02:23to improve conditions for all who work and live here. Andy Sheyuan Duan and Tiffany Wong in Taipei for Taiwan
02:30Plus.
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