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.”
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