A labor controversy recently struck Books.com.tw (博客來), Taiwan’s largest Internet retailer and online bookstore. A cleaner at the company’s offices was surprised to discover that she had been considered a contractor rather than a permanent employee after the retailer informed her that it would not extend her contract, her attorney, Chen Yu-hsin (陳又新), wrote on social media.
Chen said the retailer had exploited the cleaner’s illiteracy by deceiving her into signing annual contracts rather than one employment contract, even though they had an employer-employee relationship. As the contract required the cleaner to follow rules for employees regarding standard working hours and clocking in for the past 20 years, she should have been entitled to statutory benefits such as healthcare, labor insurance coverage and others required by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
In response to many Taiwanese, including celebrities, saying they would boycott the retailer, President Chain Store Corp — Books.com.tw’s parent company — said it reached a confidential settlement with the cleaner, which included pension and labor insurance contributions, as well as severance pay. The retailer’s general manager was fired, as well.
The Taipei Department of Labor on Monday said that the online retailer is facing NT$60,000 to NT$3 million (US$1,952 to US$97,618) in fines regarding the contracting issue. Article 9 of Labor Standards Act says: “A contract in nature for temporary, short-term, seasonal or specific work may be made as a fixed term contract, but a contract for continuous work should be a non-fixed term contract.” Given that the cleaner worked for the company for 20 years, her job would seem to have fallen into the latter category.
However, many enterprises and labor dispatch companies in Taiwan try to get away with all they can. Hoping to fly under Ministry of Labor’s radar, they employ people on yearly contracts. Light penalties do not deter companies from the practice if their revenues are substantial. It gives an immoral ring to the saying “a penny saved is a penny earned.”
It also seems that no whistle-blower at Books.com.tw felt safe enough to come forward, perhaps showing a gap in legal protections offered. For the cleaner to have been exploited for 20 years without detection, the ministry and the Taipei labor department should be ashamed of their negligence.
Books.com.tw should be demonstrating more sincerity and commitment to remedying its misconduct. It seems obvious that the fired general manager is a scapegoat, and that the company is likely not being truthful that the cleaner was the only employee contracted in such a manner. The company should offer a public apology, conduct a sweeping review and make necessary amends to other employees subjected to similar treatment, and offer a settlement that exceeds what is legally required.
As its parent company is one of the leading companies in Taiwan, the corporate image of the online retailer should be setting an example for other enterprises by not only fulfilling its legal obligations, but demonstrating its social corporate responsibility.
The Ministry of Labor should use this opportunity to increase inspections of enterprises suspected of contravening the labor act, starting with companies with a reputation for controversial contractor relationships such as online food ordering and delivery platforms. The cleaner’s case might only be the tip of the iceberg.
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
RSS