A lack of people willing to do dirty, dangerous and demanding work means that for many years Taiwan has had to ship in workers to work in factories and on construction sites from less-developed Asian neighbors such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
As always, when groups of often-uneducated people arrive in a strange land with a strange language, there is no shortage of people waiting to exploit them.
The case of a Filipino fisherman who was paid just NT$20,000 for eight months’ work on a long-distance fishing boat is one example that made the headlines recently. Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) on Wednesday said the government was considering abolishing the minimum wage for immigrants in a bid to tackle exploitation.
While Wu’s attention to the issue is welcome, it will take more than a few new wage regulations to tackle unscrupulous agents and employers who continue to abuse foreign workers. This is a problem that has been around as long as there have been foreign workers in Taiwan.
When several hundred Thai workers rioted over ill treatment while working on the Kaohsiung MRT five years ago, many observers saw it as a watershed moment that would eventually lead to the better treatment of immigrant laborers. But five years later and after piecemeal reform of the brokerage system, we find ourselves back in exactly the same position as before, with brokers still systematically ripping off the people they are supposed to help.
Foreign laborers arrive in Taiwan often having left their families behind in the hope they can save some money and make a better life for themselves and their loved ones back home. Many are shocked to find they are forced to work seven days a week, without insurance, with the cost of food and board deducted from their already low wages. Others end up doing jobs completely unrelated to the position for which they were brought to Taiwan in the first place.
Some are treated so badly that they are no better off than those trafficked into prostitution.
Such mistreatment can take place because the workers are unaware of — or even deliberately lied to about — the system that exists for them to complain or seek redress, should agents or employers mistreat them.
The sterling work done by groups that offer help to foreign workers, such as the Taiwan International Workers Association and others is gradually changing this and helping to turn the tide. The government is also helping by introducing reforms such as allowing foreign workers more flexibility in their employment contracts, but it is still not enough.
Further reform must be accompanied by a more concerted effort on the part of law enforcement and immigration authorities to combat exploitation, as civic groups can only do so much.
The authorities know what is going on, but without the will to enforce laws already in place to protect the vulnerable and the resolve to change the perception held by many that it is acceptable to abuse foreign workers, such exploitation is bound to continue.
Things are improving slowly, but not fast enough for the thousands of foreign laborers who still find themselves routinely ripped off every payday by callous and greedy individuals who, more often than not, are pretending to help them.
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