The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has been considering a sanction on Vietnamese migrant workers if the high runaway rate is not reduced.
Instead of looking at these escalating figures and shaking one's head, there is a need to look at the reasons why these Vietnamese workers are running away from their jobs and to solve the problem at its source.
During his visit to Taiwan last month, Nguyen Luong Trao, the deputy chief of the Vietnamese labor department, said with confidence that by the end of the month the government would locate 2,000 Vietnamese runaway workers as a gesture of good faith -- ?to crack down on runaways.
"By the end of December, only approximately 800 runaways have been reported, a figure that falls far below expectations. However, the CLA believes in the sincere efforts the Vietnamese government has made so far to solve the issue," said Liao Wei-jen (
At present the CLA has yet to make a definitive decision on whether to ban the importation of Vietnamese migrant workers.
At the end of last year, some 8,000 Vietnamese runaway workers, most of whom were domestic caregivers, were recorded. There are a total of over 80,000 Vietnamese workers in Taiwan.
Once in Taiwan, a new Vietnamese migrant worker is picked up by a manpower broker at the airport and taken directly to the house or factory of employment.
"The house is like a castle to a foreign migrant worker. Running away is difficult as most workers are not aware of helpful resources available to them," said Jimmy Chao (
For domestic workers, their workplace and living quarters are the same, so good labor relations make happy workers and vice versa.
Unfortunately, foreign workers who work in homes are not protected by the Employment Standards Act (
The instructions impose restrictions upon workers: Many are on standby for domestic services around the clock; some are forced to sign agreements never to purchase a mobile phone or make friends with their fellow citizens.
"The bottom line is to cut off all contact with the outside world as employers believe that outside influences will lead their workers astray," Chao said.
The inability to switch employers, said Wu Jing-ru (
"In cases of sexual assault, which are rather common among foreign workers, sometimes a worker is not even sure of the name of the person who committed the offense," Wu said.
Although incredible, some domestic workers are not sure who their legal employers or care receivers are until an incident takes place. According to Wu, not all foreign workers have access to their employment contracts. It is common practice that a domestic worker works in different households and perform tasks that are not within their job descriptions.
When facing unpleasant encounters such as sexual harassment, a worker is not usually able to correctly pinpoint the name of the offender.
The high demand for domestic helpers and the exorbitant under-the-table brokerage fees charged to Vietnamese workers also serve as chief reasons for the high escape rate. Manpower agencies in Taiwan and Vietnam, many of whom may seem unrelated on the surface, form strategic partnerships to exploit Vietnamese workers financially and split the profits.
"Under the table, a Vietnamese migrant is to sign a one-year IOU, which are the de facto brokerage fees. On average a worker is to pay a fee between NT$100,000 and NT$200,000 to their Vietnamese brokers. In other words, all of the first year's salaries go directly toward paying off one's brokerage fees," Chao said.
To meet the unreasonable financial demand, many Vietnamese workers choose to leave their employers, or seek elsewhere for employment opportunities -- which are plentiful.
"The need for domestic helpers in Taiwan is overwhelmingly huge. By working illegally, one does not need to worry about tax deductions or other costs associated with legal employment," said Chao.
Current labor policy restricts the hiring of foreign workers as domestic helpers to only families with triplets or more young children, or high-level foreign corporate executives.
A legal worker earns NT$15,840 per month plus overtime. By working illegally, one can earn up to NT$20,000 per month, in cash; the only cost is to pay off the broker who introduces illegal jobs.
Various local bureaus of labor affairs send out staff to check on the work conditions of foreign workers.
Wu, as a former employee of Taipei County's labor department, said such inspectors are short-staffed, and perfunctory inspections may easily follow.
"The CLA focuses on quantity, meaning the number of household visits, and not on quality of these visits," said Wu.
"The term `runaway' needs to be redefined," he said.
"The media give these workers a bad name. Foreign migrant workers are just like any other Taiwanese with a job: When unsatisfied with work conditions or employers, they will think of ways to get out of their job. The only difference is that they cannot switch employers freely," Chao said.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at