Two contractors in Greater Taichung earlier this week were sentenced for violating the Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Act (人口販運防制法), convicted of making profits from the exploitation of foreign workers by not paying proper wages.
According to the ruling handed down by the Taichung District Court, the offenders, a man surnamed Chiang (江) and his female friend Chen (陳), are contractors who handle housing construction, masonry and water-proofing jobs in and around Greater Taichung and Hsinchu City.
They encountered four Vietnamese workers in May 2012 who inquired about laboring jobs, the ruling said, adding that Chiang and Chen found out they were foreign workers who had run away from their original employers.
Under Taiwanese labor laws, foreign workers must sign a two-year contract prior to leaving their home countries, and the contract stipulates the work location, future employer and other conditions, so it is illegal for them to leave their contracted jobs and find work elsewhere.
The offenders promised jobs to the Vietnamese workers and housed them in a shabby metal shelter in Hsinchu City, the ruling said, adding that Chiang and Chen each separately took two Vietnamese workers to work locations every day and assured them their wages would be paid at the end of the month.
After one month doing various jobs, the workers were expecting to receive payment, but the two contractors refused to pay their salaries, instead calling the police in to arrest the workers, the ruling said.
The ruling sentenced Chiang to a four-month jail term, while Chen received a deferred prosecution because she admitted to violations during the judicial investigation into the case.
As well as violating the Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Act, the pair also committed the crime of making illegal profits by refusing to pay salaries to the workers, the ruling said.
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