Labor representatives from the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) visited the controversial Formosa Plastics Plant yesterday to assess the safety of Filipino workers there. The visit comes in the wake of Manila's plan to suspend Filipino workers from working for the corporation.
According to wire reports, a statement made by the Philippine government two days ago said it would impose a ban on the recruitment of Filipinos for the Formosa Plastic's plant in Mailiao, Yunlin County. The statement quoted Reynaldo Regalado, chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, as saying that the ban would not be lifted "until the situation cools down."
The proposed ban follows a riot at Formosa Plastic's Sixth Naphtha Cracker site last week, where an eight-hour-long melee between 300 Filipinos and Thais sparked a riot that eventually involved 3,000 workers, the biggest riot of its kind in Taiwan.
After two days of sporadic conflict, the two sides were reconciled publicly last Tuesday. However, some Filipinos are worried that Thai workers are still plotting revenge and were unwilling to return to work. Since last Wednesday, 544 Filipino workers have returned to their home country, according to the management of Formosa Plastic.
The plan to suspend labor recruitment for Formosa Plastic is "not final," MECO's labor representative Eliot S. Cojuangco said.
"We are going to assess the situation there to ensure our people are working in a safe environment," he said.
Cojuangco said the suspension depends on MECO's assessment. According to Cojuangco, during a meeting last Tuesday, MECO requested that Formosa Plastics and its subcontractor, Samsung Engineering and Construction, implement better security.
"The banning of alcohol consumption inside the living area, and more lights, a central surveillance camera and permanent police patrols in the workplace would provide a more secure environment for workers," he said.
The two corporations have told MECO that steps were being taken to improve workers' security. "This is why I'm going back there to see if they are really doing it," Cojuangco said.
Wu Yi-tsong (
He said the plant is considering the installation of surveillance cameras but that this was not yet confirmed. As to the alcohol-related problems reported among workers, Wu said: "We have temporarily suspended the supply of beer at vending spots inside the plant, but whether we should permanently ban the sale of beer requires more discussion."
When asked whether the presence of police would be increased, as requested by the Philippines, Wu said the possibility was low. "It is very difficult to ask public servants to garrison a private corporation's plant," Wu said.
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