A labor broker has been fined more than NT$10 million (US$318,000) for illegally charging migrant workers job-placement fees, the highest penalty ever imposed in such a case, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
The broker illegally charged “multiple” migrant workers job-placement fees, over-collecting about NT$1 million in total under the guise of end-of-contract transfer or contract renewal fees, ministry official Su Yu-kuo (蘇裕國) told a news conference in Taipei.
“Because the illegal conduct was clear-cut, the local government imposed the [more than NT$10 million] penalty,” Su said, adding that under the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), brokers are allowed to charge employers registration and placement fees, while migrant workers can only be charged service fees.
Photo: Lee Ching-huei, Taipei Times
Under current regulations, service fees are the only charges brokers are legally allowed to collect from migrant workers, capped at NT$1,800 per month in the first year after a worker’s arrival in Taiwan, NT$1,700 in the second year and NT$1,500 from the third year onward.
Charging migrant workers job-placement fees, known locally as “job-buying fees,” falls outside the items permitted under the law, he said.
In addition to the fine, Su said the ministry would also impose a business suspension of up to one year on the broker in accordance with the act.
Asked for further details, Su declined to say how many migrant workers were affected or their nationalities, and did not identify the broker or say whether it had a prior record of violations.
By searching the Workforce Development Agency database of private employment service institutions, CNA found that a Taichung-based broker was fined NT$12.7 million by the Taoyuan City Government on Nov. 25 for a violation that appeared to match the case described by Su.
Su gave no clear answer when asked whether the more than NT$1 million in over-collected fees had been refunded, saying he would “need to look into that detail.”
The ministry official said the ministry launched an investigation into the broker after receiving complaints from a civic group alleging the company had illegally charged migrant workers fees.
He did not provide details on when the complaints were filed, how long the investigation took or when enforcement action was taken, saying only that the case occurred “in recent months” in response to CNA’s questions.
So far this year, 10 brokers have been found to have illegally overcharged migrant workers and been fined by local governments, Su said.
He added that the authorities have conducted more than 2,200 inspections targeting such violations this year and plan to carry out 2,500 inspections next year.
Urging brokers to comply with the law, Su also said migrant workers who are asked to pay job-placement fees when seeking to switch employers should call the ministry’s 1955 Hotline for advice or to file a complaint.
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