On November 7, the Taidoc Technology Labor Union (TTLU) held a press conference and protest in front of the Ministry of Labor in Taiwan to expose the violations committed by Taidoc Technology Co. LTD against its workers. Various Taiwan organizations and unions joined the event to show support.

The TTLU is a democratic and independent union of Filipino women migrant workers at Taidoc Technology Co., LTD. The company is a major manufacturer of medical devices in New Taipei City, Taiwan. This is the second union of migrant workers in the country’s entire history.

The workers said many of them are vulnerable to abuse because their visas, jobs, housing, and legal status in Taiwan are tied to the company.

In the workers’ dormitory, the company imposed a curfew and conducts a daily “roll call”. Workers are prohibited from leaving the dormitory after the curfew. Staying outside the dormitory to visit their families results in a 30 day cleaning job as punishment. They are ordered to clean the canteen, the workshop kitchen, and the factory toilets—tasks outside their job description.

They also receive warnings whenever they complain or express opposition to the rules. Anyone who accumulates several warnings could be dismissed from their job or deported from the country.

The migrant workers are charged NT$1,500–1,800 (₱2,850–₱3,420) per month by “brokers” or agencies that facilitated their entry to the factory. These agencies do not provide any support, assistance, or services.

When a worker renews their contract, they must pay NT$18,000 (₱34,200) or return to the Philippines to process their documents again, and pay a NT$50,000 (₱95,000) placement fee. Some workers who transferred to Taidoc paid NT$18,000 as a “transfer fee.” If a worker wants to leave the company, they must pay an amount equivalent to one month’s salary as a penalty. This practice is illegal under Taiwan’s law.

The company’s violations prompted the migrant workers to unite to form a union.

After the union was formed, the leaders were summoned one by one and pressured to withdraw from the union and retract their complaints against the company. The company threatened to take away their bonuses and privileges and warned them that they could no longer renew their contracts. Despite the intimidation, no one left the union.

The union calls for freedom of association, fair treatment, a fair and fee-free recruitment system, protection against retaliation for complaining workers, and respect for their dignity as human beings.

According to the union, the struggle of Taidoc’s workers is part of the struggle of all migrant workers in Taiwan who are treated as disposable and controllable objects. They assert, “We are workers, not property.”

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*Organizations and unions that expressed solidarity and support: Migrante Taiwan, Serve the People Association, International Metal Federation, Independent Trade Union Federation, World Advanced Trade Union, South Asia Circuit Board Union, Central Trade Union, Taiwan International Labour Association, National Household Labor Union, Aachen Trade Union, Migrant Workers International Taiwan Chapter, Taiwan Human Rights Promotion Association, Greenpeace, Taiwan University Labour Association, Teachers’ Literature Society, Zhengda Seed Society, Action to Defend Academic Rights in Taiwan, Taiwan Supervising Enterprise Youth Action, IndustriALL Global Union, Action Labor Union, United Microelectronics Corp. Workers’ Union, Nanya PCB Workers’ Union, Chung Hwa Telecom Union, Taiwan International Workers’ Association (TIWA), National Domestic Workers’ Industrial Union, Askey Workers’ Union, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Greenpeace Taiwan, NTU Labor Action Group, NTNU Humanities Student Association, NCCU Seeds Collective, Taiwan Students’ Rights Action Network, at Youth Action for Corporate Accountability.

*NT$1=₱1.9