Taiwan: Migrant workers reportedly pay up to USD6150 to secure low-wage jobs producing goods for multinationals; incl. comments from L'Oreal, Walmart & others
Краткое изложение
Date Reported: 14 Фев 2023
Местонахождение: Тайвань
Компании
Visteon - Buyer , Chin Poon Industrial - Supplier , Magna - Buyer , Continental AG - Buyer , HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA - Buyer , Bosch - Buyer , Opel (part of Groupe PSA) - Buyer , General Motors - BuyerЗатронуто
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Мигранты и рабочие-иммигранты: ( Number unknown - Вьетнам , Производство: Вся категория , Gender not reported ) , Мигранты и рабочие-иммигранты: ( Number unknown - Филиппины , Производство: Вся категория , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Мигранты и рабочие-иммигранты: ( Number unknown - Таиланд , Производство: Вся категория , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Темы
Wage Theft , Сборы за найм персонала , Запугивание и угрозы , Access to Non-Judicial RemedyОтвет
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Принятые меры: Bosch, Continental and Hella committed to addressing the problems while Magna and Visteon reportedly did not. CPI has reportedly started to reimburse migrant workers for paying fees, with the final amount of what CPI promised to reimburse due in March 2023, and stated that no future recruits would pay fees. In a later Diplomat article, Bosch and Opel said that migrant workers were reimbursed in full, contrary to what CPI itself – and every interviewee – told The Diplomat. Hella said that “recruitment fees for which there is written evidence … were reimbursed,”
Вид источника: News outlet
Краткое изложение
Date Reported: 14 Фев 2023
Местонахождение: Тайвань
Компании
Walmart - Buyer , Continental AG - Buyer , Niagara Bottling LLC - Buyer , DSM - Former buyer , Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation - Supplier , DuPont - Former buyerЗатронуто
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Мигранты и рабочие-иммигранты: ( Number unknown - Вьетнам , Пластик , Gender not reported )Темы
Withholding Passports , Restricted mobility , Принудительный труд , Debt Bondage , Wage Theft , Сборы за найм персонала , Запугивание и угрозыОтвет
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Принятые меры: SSFC has committed to reimburse migrant workers equivalent to the legal recruitment fee levels in home countries, expected by end of 2023. Continental, DSM, Walmart and Niagara Bottling have said they are investigating the allegations. A later article released in The Diplomat in August 2023 reported workers had been reimbursed but not for the full amount ('around 60% of costs'), going against the zero-recruitment fee policies of some buyers.
Вид источника: News outlet
Краткое изложение
Date Reported: 14 Фев 2023
Местонахождение: Тайвань
Компании
Hwa Hsia Glass - Supplier , L'Oreal - Former buyer , Veritiv - BuyerЗатронуто
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Мигранты и рабочие-иммигранты: ( Number unknown - Вьетнам , Производство: Вся категория , Gender not reported )Темы
Запугивание и угрозы , Сборы за найм персонала , Wage Theft , Withholding Passports , Restricted mobilityОтвет
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Принятые меры: HHG denied many of the allegations. L'Oreal cut ties with the supplier and no longer sources products there, reportedly. Veritiv reportedly would not disclose whether they had audited Taiwanese suppliers.
Вид источника: News outlet
"Migrant workers squeezed in Taiwan," 14 Feb 2023
For decades, it has been publicly known that migrants working in Taiwan have risked — or endured — forced labour. But public attention to specific Western companies profiting from the exploitation at certain Taiwanese suppliers is rare...
Bosch, Continental, Hella, Magna and Visteon are major suppliers to the global automotive industry and buy directly from the car electronics manufacturer Chin Poon Industrial (CPI), where workers told me of exorbitant fees, punitive fines and more. After a few months of dragging its heels, Bosch committed to addressing the problems. Continental and Hella also promised to approach their supplier. Magna, one of Canada’s biggest companies, and Visteon did not...
Throughout 2022, Vietnamese employees of the huge plastics maker Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation (SSFC) told me about recruitment fees up to €6350, fines, deductions, retention of ID papers, tight curfews and other forced labour risks...
Vietnamese workers shared detailed feedback to me about paying recruiters exceedingly high fees for jobs, having passports confiscated for years, unpaid overtime, fines, threats and more… HHG told me that passports had been returned to workers, denied that overtime is unpaid, said ‘fines are minimal, meant to ensure they follow company policy’ and that ‘ethical recruitment is our policy...’...
Walmart, Niagara, Bosch, Continental, Hella, DSM, Magna, Visteon and Veritiv wouldn’t disclose if they had ever audited their Taiwanese suppliers, despite having sourced from them for up to ten years. Since my mid-2022 reporting, a number of audits have been scheduled.