TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan should put into law the right of migrant caregivers to days off work, Indonesia's representative to Taiwan has said.

Indonesia wants the Domestic Workers Protection Act finalized as it would allow caregivers one day off per week, which they are not eligible for. Some migrant caregivers only take one day off per month or go long periods without rest days. The Cabinet is reviewing the draft.

Head of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei (IETO) Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan told CNA that he hopes the bill goes into effect. It also includes work contract termination, leave, insurance, and complaint filing stipulations. 

Domestic caregivers in Taiwan are not protected under the Labor Standards Act. The Ministry of Labor (MOL) has argued that because caregivers work in family households, their hours are difficult to count and fall under different regulations. 

However, activist groups and migrant workers have refuted this argument, saying migrant caregivers should be entitled to the same rights as other workers in Taiwan. 

Employers who hire caregivers and brokers who manage their hiring process have also argued against including these workers under the labor law, as their rest days would have to be covered by the employer's expenses. 

Due to their exclusion from the Labor Standards Act, migrant caregivers earn below the minimum monthly wage. The minimum monthly wage for workers under the act is NT$27,470, while domestic caregivers’ minimum monthly salary is NT$20,000 (US$616).

There are more than 280,000 migrant workers from Indonesia in Taiwan, and 180,000 are caregivers, according to the labor ministry.