Foreign Teachers Can Unionize
March 24th, 2007 by MarkGood news today.
A committee of the Legislative Yuan gave initial approval to the proposed new rules to allow foreign employees to take up positions as directors or supervisors of labor unions. The rules, when ratified by the lawmakers, will also permit teachers to organize labor unions.
The China Post: Lawmakers approve new rules to let foreign workers serve as union officials
I remember Scott Sommers writing about unionized foreign teachers in Japan a while back. At the time, I thought it was a bit odd that I’d never heard of anything similar in Taiwan, and now I know the reason- laws. Most teachers here are are a migratory bunch and don’t stay in Taiwan that long, but I think unions still make some sense. In Japan, teachers have open work permits, i.e., once they have a work visa, they can work at any company that will hire them. Here in Taiwan, on the other hand, a foreigners’ permission to work is tied to their employers. Employers definitely have a lot of power here.
:
March 25th, 2007 at 7:13 am
Foreigners can join a union (Taiwan)…
It seems that it is now legal for foreigners, in Taiwan, to:take up positions as directors or supervisors of labor unions. The rules, when ratified by the lawmakers, will also permit teachers to organize labor unions.I would love to see this in Korea b…
March 25th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Still most people don’t really know what a union is. I have tried explaining it to my students, who are adults, and they didn’t really know what I was talking about.
Having an open work visa would definitely be a plus and get ride of some of the visa hassles that foreign teachers face in Taiwan.
March 25th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I agree. Japan, in many ways, is a better place to work for TEFL teachers.
Not only is your work visa NOT tied to your employer in Japan, the visa is valid for 3 years.
March 26th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Good news? So how do teachers find a union or do they have to be brave enough to risk their employment and start one of their own?
March 28th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Unionization would be a very good development for teachers here. I had a dispute with an employer in Japan (a Briton, not a Japanese BTW) that was resolved by my consulting with the General Union there. They provided me with a clear explanation of the relevant labor laws that was helpful in resolving the situation in my favor.