The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) is working on new standards for fees charged to migrant workers, a move which aims to curb exploitation of the workers by private recruitment agencies.
At a public hearing yesterday, the CLA heard opinions from the representatives of local recruitment agencies and labor rights groups regarding fees charged for the import of the foreign workers.
Before the meeting began, however, a female worker from Indonesia appeared unexpectedly, accompanied by labor groups, and told of her experiences with a ruthless broker.
"I paid over NT$150,000 in order to get a job in your country," said the women, named Sasa, in a black veil.
"My boss has sexually harassed me for over 10 months and when I complained to the broker who brought me here, the only answer I got was: `This is your fate.'"
The labor groups who accompanied Sasa to the meeting pointed out that her story is similar to those told by many other migrant workers, who have found dealing with ruthless employers and brokers to be a nightmare.
While currently the CLA standards say that an agency can charge NT$60,000 to place a worker, brokers often charge up to double that amount for a job placement in Taiwan, the groups said.
Wang San-chung (
He cautioned private brokerage agencies not to overcharge migrant workers for items that are not included in the CLA's standards.
Moreover, he warned private agencies not to exploit foreign workers by twisting the rules.
Wang's caution is in response to the fees levied by the agents in addition to the NT$60,000 standard charge, which may include fees for customs-processing, travel, document translation and service fees in various forms.
Excessive fees charged by the recruitment agencies have long been criticized.
The CLA has also introduced a direct-hiring system between Taiwan and labor exporting countries in Southeast Asia to try and get over this problem.
Under the system, employers are able to cut the time needed to hire a foreign worker by as much as a month, while foreign workers can save between NT$50,000 and NT$100,000 in placement fees, according to Wang.
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