31 Ott 2023
Taiwan: Migrants employed by manufacturers supplying to major automobile, satellite & electronics multinationals experience rights violations
Riepilogo
Date Reported: 31 Ott 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Honda - Buyer , Nissan - Buyer , Mitsubishi Motors - Buyer , Starlink (part of SpaceX) - Buyer , Lioho machine works - Employer , Sanyang Motor - Buyer , Kuozui Motors - Buyer , General Motors - Buyer , Ford - Buyer , Toyota - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Vietnam , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Indonesia , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Filippine , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Intimidation , Retention of identity documents , Debt Bondage , Freedom of Expression , Access to Non-Judicial RemedyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Ford and GM promised action when informed about LMW’s labor practices. The two companies are publicly committed to no-fee recruitment and worker reimbursements and are members of the RBA. Ford said that it “is investigating this matter and have also requested an independent review by a third party.” GM said "“Upon learning of these allegations, we immediately contacted the supplier, and we intend to work with them until a resolution is achieved and to require independent verification and transparency..." None of the car firms committed to address the forced labour risks, except Honda, which promised to investigate further with its supplier. Toyota justified its inaction by explaining that LMW does not make car parts for the Toyota Motor Corporation directly, but for its Taiwanese affiliate, Kuozui Motors. Toyota is majority owner of Kuozui Motors with 65 percent of shares. A later article published on the story included the following company responses: Toyota said it is investigating the matter. A Toyota spokesperson said: “Toyota's Human Rights Policy and Supplier Sustainability Guidelines clearly state that Toyota does not tolerate forced labor, which is often extracted through violent and threatful means or by entrapment of debt.” Toyota also said that it is “confirming through Kuozui the working conditions of foreign workers at LMW.” Honda and Mitsubishi said that they had asked their supplier, LMW, through their affiliated companies for confirmation and that LMW stated that there was no risk of forced labor for migrant workers. A Honda spokesperson said: “We have contacted LMW to confirm the situation following your initial inquiry in October 2023 and have confirmed that the company's operations are in accordance with Taiwanese law and the afore-mentioned guidelines." Mitsubishi Motors said that it "values the human rights and labor rights of our direct employees as well as those of our suppliers and partners" and explained that it is addressing the LMW incident through its Taiwanese partner. The company added that it is "currently developing a system to conduct human rights due diligence on business partners worldwide.” Nissan said that “as a matter of policy, Nissan and Yulon Nissan do not comment on supplier relationships and labor structure. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations.” LMW did not reply to repeated requests for comments from our investigative team. Ford said that it “is investigating this matter and have also requested an independent review by a third party.” “Upon learning of these allegations, we immediately contacted the supplier, and we intend to work with them until a resolution is achieved and to require independent verification and transparency,” GM said.
Source type: News outlet
Riepilogo
Date Reported: 31 Ott 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Wistron - Buyer , Pegatron - Buyer , HughesNet (part of Echostar) - Buyer , U. D. Electronic - Employer , Flex - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 30 - Vietnam , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Retention of identity documents , DismissalResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: SpaceX and Echostar did not reply to the journalist's requests for comment. Flex told The Diplomat that it currently had no comments. Pegatron said that it has “been requesting our suppliers to strictly comply with the Code of Conduct and the latest RBA regulations.” Wistron did not reply to a request for comment.
Source type: News outlet
Riepilogo
Date Reported: 31 Ott 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Askey (part of ASUS) - Employer , Verizon - Buyer , Nokia - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Filippine , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Recruitment FeesResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: “To address any possible issues, on September 22 our parent company ASUS met with RBA to discuss the next steps. ASUS has agreed to engage an independent RBA-accredited third party to conduct an audit of Askey in the coming months, and ASUS will urge Askey to make any necessary improvements to meet RBA standards,” said a spokesperson of Askey, ASUS’ wholly-owned subsidiary. Verizon and Nokia did not comment.
Source type: News outlet
…more forced labor risks have come to light in Taiwan’s electronics and car industries. And as workers express no hope for assistance by local authorities – how could they, when excessive fees to foreign recruiters, mandatory service fees to Taiwanese labor brokers, and even passport withholding are not illegal in Taiwan? – they must rely on multinational buyers’ social responsibility, again…
…one of SpaceX’s biggest foreign suppliers, the Taiwan-based Lioho Machine Works…
Lioho Machine Works … employs hundreds of migrant workers from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia in its Taiwanese factories. We spoke with more than 10 workers…
…Vietnamese workers were charged over $5,000 – equal to 2.5 years of Vietnam’s minimum wage – while Filipino and Indonesian workers paid from $1,300 to $4,500….
…HughesNet’s supplier, the Taiwanese manufacturer U. D. Electronic Corp, include 25-30 Vietnamese migrants. Workers said they paid over $6,000 to Vietnamese recruiters …
SpaceX and Echostar did not reply to requests for comment…
Other customers of U. D. Electronic Corp include the American electronics giant Flex and the two Taiwanese multinationals, Wistron and Pegatron…
Ford and GM promised action when informed about LMW’s labor practices….
Kuozui, the Toyota maker, confirmed recruiting foreigners but said that “we will refrain from providing detailed responses regarding recruitment fees at this time.”…