In Taiwan’s ‘container houses’ for migrant workers, coronavirus not the only health risk

‘While Taiwan has avoided a huge outbreak, activists doubt the government’s readiness to protect migrant workers, some of whom live in dorms of 30 people a room. Aside from the coronavirus, packed dorms located within factory grounds leave workers at risk of fire hazards.

‘In Taiwan, there are more than 718,000 blue-collar migrant workers. The highest number – nearly 280,000, or about 40 per cent of the migrant worker community – comes from Indonesia, followed by Vietnam (221,400), the Philippines (158,700) and Thailand (58,700). They mostly work in the manufacturing and caregiving sectors, as well as agriculture, forestry and fishing.’

Read here (South China Morning Post, April 26, 2020)