Nine Taiwanese students shaved their heads outside the Executive Yuan on Sunday in an action they described as a “Dharma assembly” to mock a top government official, who said recently that caregivers should not complain about getting a low salary but learn to be as generous as Buddha.
The assembly, which was intended to be humorous in nature, featured common Buddhist and Taoist practices found in funerals such as paper houses, ghost money and other offerings traditionally burned for the deceased.
The protesters also called for people to fight the government’s change to the Labor Standards Acts.
Premier Lai Ching-te recently made controversial remarks regarding caregivers, saying that they should not complain about getting a low salary but should know that they are doing a favor to society. Lai said low-paid caregivers were “earning merit” in Buddhist terms.
Chao Jen-chen, a student from National Taiwan University, said the concept for the assembly came from Lai’s inappropriate speech. And an organiser, who played the part of a ritual master at funerals, said the law was “on its deathbed”.
“We’re here to pray that Taiwan’s workers will not suffer from overwork,” he said.
Wang Wen-yu, the sole female student who shaved her head, said having the hair shaved off her head meant supporting the fight for workers’ rights. “It was the right thing to do,” she said.
On November 9, the Executive Yuan approved the amendment to the labor laws. The change aims to make work rules more flexible for both employers and employees. Many labor groups and trade unions staged rallies and a 269-hour hunger strike against the law.
Most of caregivers and caretaker worked for almost or more than 24/7 we asked a fair labor law when it comes to our salary, more than 24hrs worked without proper sleep and rest at night due to our patience conditions and sometime we are not just working as caregivers and caretaker we also work as a domestic helper cleaning the house of the employers or employer’s relatives it is not our obligation and its not indicated in our signed contract here. Giving us a higher is one way to pay off our hardship on taking of your elders. And we are not just taking care of them and the whole family but we love them as our own.
these guys should atleast try to be a caregiver once in a while,so that they may know the hardships of a household caregivers
I am a caretaker here, supposed to be my work is to take care a grandma only. But they gave mo 2 patient to take care of, a grandma and a grandpa. Other than that they have a wide vegetable farm that ask me to help there to dig the soil. There are so many employers who abused workers like giving too much work like me. I washed all the plates that they used even if its not my job to serve them all. Ask me to clean the other house if the visitors arrived. Sometimes im getting mad when grandma and grandma together call my name to do someting , i dont know who to follow first. Im not the only 1 abused here i know so many workers here experienced the same situation. No salary increase for only 17++ sometimes 24 hrs cannot sleep well if they are not feeling well specially when they are hospitalized its really 24/7 no sleep. Changing diapers in the middle of the night. Taiwan labor law is so unfair to foreign caretakers. We deserve a salary increase also not only to those who work in factories.. hope you can hear our voices this time.
I hope this message will reach out to the heart of the government of Taiwan to the people who has the capability to insure the rules the labor for the imported workers specifically we the care givers from Philippines and from the other country as well (ofw) caretakers Taiwan…I just wonder why it seems to us that the caretaker workers are not so important to you all. when we caregivers (live in) are willing to sacrifice during the night we do not sleep 8 hours every night we just slept for 3 to 4 hours sometimes, no sleep all night long but our willingness to take care of your elderly is priceless and we even give our tender loving care to your grandma grandfa..mothers fathers, aunt,uncle etc..please hear us out we are also human beings like factory workers we have also our family waiting for us we need a little bit more salary. Why not increase our salary why you always left us behind? when we treat you like our own family members… Taiwan wants us to stay for 13 or 15 years so they just take advantages the time when we are still strong and healthy by that time we reach at the age of 40 above our time here in taiwan will end why is that? After our terms 15 years some of us can still work hard.. So unfair that you always wanted the young and strong new workers so you give us limitations of our stay for 15 years or so.. Anyways, this is my own point of view.. Please include us when you increase the salary of factory workers my concerns are caregivers since we are not in the center of their priority but we prioritized and love their elderly… To all caregivers(caretakers)…Please share thank you everyone! Take care God bless us all
I hope this message will reach out to the heart of the government of Taiwan to the people who has the capability to insure the rules the labor for the imported workers specifically we the care givers from Philippines and from the other country as well (ofw) caretakers Taiwan…I just wonder why it seems to us that the caretaker workers are not so important to you all. when we caregivers (live in) are willing to sacrifice during the night we do not sleep 8 hours every night we just slept for 3 to 4 hours sometimes, no sleep all night long but our willingness to take care of your elderly is priceless and we even give our tender loving care to your grandma grandfa..mothers fathers, aunt,uncle etc..please hear us out we are also human beings like factory workers we have also our family waiting for us we need a little bit more salary. Why not increase our salary why you always left us behind? when we treat you like our own family members… Taiwan wants us to stay for 13 or 15 years so they just take advantages the time when we are still strong and healthy by that time we reach at the age of 40 above our time here in taiwan will end why is that? After our terms 15 years some of us can still work hard.. So unfair that you always wanted the young and strong new workers so you give us limitations of our stay for 15 years or so.. Anyways, this is my own point of view.. Please include us when you increase the salary of factory workers my concerns are caregivers since we are not in the center of their priority but we prioritized and love their elderly… To all caregivers(caretakers)…Please share thank you everyone! Take care God bless us all
Give proper food and accommodation from an employer. And pursue the once a week off day and should be a mandatory. Those who don’t let their caretakers to have off day must imposed penalty.
"credit to the owner..
why she look us that way we care giver need fair law as what other increase their salary we work here to help our family yes including our being devoted to our job but please look at the other side why we need to work outside our country just to have a good salary make a increase to us make us happy
true..
Very well said..
very well said my dear….
True
Same here. As if we owe them something. They act like it.
its true we cannot sleep good in the night especially when you take care of a special child which.is Autism, its very hard .
why not your president try to take care of a bed ridden even in a day so she can feel thr reality.
We are really over worked as caretaker me myself start to work at 6.am until 11 pm midnight sometimes 12 night..but that no over time paid.
WOWWW that’s amazing …