About 30 Indonesian migrant workers gathered outside the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (IETO) to Taipei yesterday to demand better protection of their rights and the abolition of the broker system.
During the rally, Indonesians working in the caregiving and manufacturing sectors urged the IETO to put an end to the broker system and improve the office’s services.
Holding signs with slogans such as “stop overcharging” and “Sunday service every week,” they shared experiences of what they described as poor treatment by brokers or the IETO.
Photo: CNA
“When I was in Indonesia, I signed a contract to take care of an elderly person [in Taiwan]. However, when I arrived in Taiwan, I was assigned to work on a farm,” said Maesaroh, a migrant worker who has been in Taiwan for less than a year.
Unable to endure the pain in her back from shoveling dirt from dawn to dusk every day, she asked the broker to allow her to change jobs.
“They threatened me, saying that if I switched to another employer, I would have to pay tens of millions of Indonesian rupiah as penalties [for violating the contract],” Maesaroh said, choking up, referring to an amount equal to tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars.
The broker system was legalized in 1992 to introduce overseas workers to employment opportunities in Taiwan, manage the workers and help them process any necessary documents while in Taiwan.
Muchsin, an Indonesian factory worker who broke his leg in a work-related incident, recounted an incident in which an IETO staff member conducted a live broadcast on TikTok to share information about labor regulations.
“I asked him about the rights of migrant workers who fall ill and those who suffer from work-related injuries... He became angry and blocked my account,” Muchsin said.
“According to the [Indonesian] government’s slogan ‘Protect Indonesian migrant workers from head to toe,’ they should protect and uphold my rights,” he added.
The IETO should also increase the frequency of office services on Sundays — the day of the week when most migrant workers can take their days off — to more than just once a month, said Fajar, a caregiver and the president of the Indonesian workers solidarity organization Ganas Community, which organized the rally.
At the end of the rally, Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan, head of the IETO and Indonesia’s representative to Taiwan, received a petition from the group after discussing their appeals with them.
He said the office would discuss those issues and look into how their services can be improved.
“It is our responsibility to respond to all of the demands of our migrant workers,” Iqbal said. “We should not ignore any demand that comes from our migrant workers.”
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
RSS