In the face of economic recession, people are searching for opportunities to make money, with some even willing to stand for eight hours a day on the streets in heavy traffic and in all kinds of weather, holding billboards advertising sumptuous apartments they are unlikely to ever afford with their meager wages.
These temporary workers can be found every day at the main intersections in Taipei.
Their job is simple: Stand still while holding an advertising billboard that indicates the direction of the real estate project being promoted.
PHOTO: CNA
The phenomenon began after the Taipei City Police Department in 2005 began to clamp down on advertising vehicles occupying parking spaces on the city streets. Since then, temporary staffing agencies have hired people for low wages to hold the billboards.
Most of them work from 10am to 6pm, earning just NT$800 per day.
The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has set a national minimum wage of NT$95 per hour.
The workers are allowed to take a 10-minute rest every hour, but are not allowed to sit down while holding their billboard.
“Our employer sends ‘patrols’ from time to time to see if we are doing what they ask,” said an elderly worker who stands at the intersection of Songjiang and Changchun roads five days a week.
Declining to give his name, the man said he was a retiree and wanted to kill time and make some money. He was hired by a temporary staffing agency, as the job requires few skills.
“At my age, I don’t have many choices,” he said.
Showing his tanned arms, the retiree said the sun was not a problem for him.
“From 3:30pm, this corner will be in the shade of the neighboring building,” he said.
In addition to the elderly, people of working age also consider holding billboards as a way to earn a little extra income.
One middle-aged man holding a sign at the intersection of Xinsheng S Road and Renai Road said that he had been holding billboards every weekend for four years, even though he says he has a regular weekday job.
“The high temperature is tolerable, but what is really annoying is the rain,” he said, adding that holding a billboard while standing in the rain is not very comfortable.
He also expressed concern about breathing the polluted air all day, as he is always posted at intersections where there is heavy traffic.
Even though the working conditions are far from satisfactory, he said he was still willing to do the work at the cost of his weekends and family time.
“The extra money — NT$800 a day — helps boost my earnings, especially during a time when prices are rising,” he said.
To protect these temporary workers, Ngou Giok-siong (吳玉祥), president of the Taiwan Labor Front, said that if the government would not improve their working conditions, it should at least guarantee their basic rights.
“I doubt that the temporary staffing agencies pay insurance for these temporary workers, who are among the most underprivileged in the work force; the CLA should investigate the issue,” Ngou said.
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