The Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association: TEEMA said that its members will stop hiring workers from the Philippines. If the government reaches such a decision, electronics manufacturers, which employ many Philippine workers, will begin importing labor from other regional countries like Thailand or Vietnam. Some companies are thinking of hiring Thai or Vietnamese workers next time.
The electronic parts and component manufacturing sector will face the biggest impact if the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) decides to suspend the import of Philippine labor. This is one of the measures being considered as part the Taiwan government’s punitive actions against the Philippines in a row over Manila’s deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China on 2 February 2011 and its reluctance to apologize, as Taipei has requested. CLA Minister had said earlier that if the talks between the two sides failed to produce a satisfactory solution, her office would launch boycotts against the Philippines, which would include freezing imports of Philippine workers. According to CLA statistics, there are currently over 77,000 Philippine workers in Taiwan, 54,000 of whom are working in the manufacturing sector, mostly at factories that make electronic parts and components.
The electronic parts and component manufacturing sector will face the biggest impact if the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) decides to suspend the import of Philippine labor. This is one of the measures being considered as part the Taiwan government’s punitive actions against the Philippines in a row over Manila’s deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China on 2 February 2011 and its reluctance to apologize, as Taipei has requested. CLA Minister had said earlier that if the talks between the two sides failed to produce a satisfactory solution, her office would launch boycotts against the Philippines, which would include freezing imports of Philippine workers. According to CLA statistics, there are currently over 77,000 Philippine workers in Taiwan, 54,000 of whom are working in the manufacturing sector, mostly at factories that make electronic parts and components.
However, CLA Minister said he thinks the possible labor freeze would have a greater impact on the social welfare sector because of the need for English-speaking foreign caregivers. In the manufacturing sector, the impact could be lessened by training workers from other countries before sending them on the production lines, he said.
