Taiwan must improve protections for lower-wage migrant workers if it hopes to be recognized as a developed country, academics said, after the US suspended imports from Giant Manufacturing Co over allegations of forced labor.
Chen Li-yi (陳立儀), an assistant professor in the Department of Labor and Human Resources at Chinese Culture University, said in a recent media interview that if Taiwan wishes to be regarded as a developed nation, “it must ensure the protection of migrant workers’ human rights.”
US Customs and Border Protection issued a withhold release order against Giant last year, aiming to prompt Taiwan’s leading bicycle maker to improve working conditions for migrant workers, Chen said.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s migrant worker management system is based on government-to-government arrangements, unlike in most advanced economies where employment is governed by direct contracts between private companies and workers, he said.
Citing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s operations in the US, Chen said cultural differences also influence workplace expectations and labor conditions.
“Many Taiwanese believe paying overtime to speed up progress is reasonable,” he said, “but American workers see holidays as time for rest.”
Lin Chun-yu (林君諭), assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Soochow University, said that migrant workers in Taiwan’s industrial sector generally have better protections than those employed as caregivers or in fisheries.
Taiwan’s approach to migrant worker rights “has really improved,” but still leaves “room for progress,” she said, adding that some workers still have to pay high brokerage fees in their home countries under the quota system.
In response to the US order, Giant said it “absolutely has no debt-bonded labor” and “has never abused the disadvantaged status of migrant workers.”
Wages are paid within five days after each pay period, with bilingual payslips and legally calculated overtime pay, the company said, adding that its working environment meets ISO 45001 and Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management System standards.
Dormitories exceed legal space requirements and are equipped with air conditioning and bilingual management staff, Giant said, adding that it has hired legal counsel and would meet with US representatives “to explain the actual situation.”
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) last week said that Taiwan has continually improved conditions for migrant workers, adding that the ministry would coordinate with the Ministry of Labor to issue clearer guidelines for improving living and working environments.
Giant said it implemented a “zero recruitment fee” policy in January, under which the company covers all recruitment, brokerage and government fees for newly hired foreign workers.
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