'RI workers exploited in Taiwan'

'RI workers exploited in Taiwan'

JAKARTA: Many Indonesian female workers are exploited in Taiwan, where they work without proper salaries, announced Anung Sudarto, an executive of a labor supply company.

Anung said over the weekend that such exploitation is conducted by a syndicate of foreign worker agents in Taiwan, who frequently cancel work contracts after the workers have paid, in installments, all the costs for their employment.

Out of the minimum wage of NT$15,480 (US$427) per month in Taiwan, each worker gets only about $2,000 as the rest is deducted to pay for their dues, including $10,000 for the work contract and the rest for insurance, tax and other additional costs, Anung said.

He said that the work contract is usually valid for 14 to 16 months. This means that an agent for foreign workers in Taiwan receives $140,000 to $160,000 from each worker per annum, far higher that the $30,000 received by the worker, he said.

Ironically, as soon as a contract ends, the agent sends the worker home, requiring them to register again so as to commit them to new wage deductions, he said.

Such behavior is inhumane. Indonesian foreign workers have fallen victim to exploitative practices," he said, urging the government to help settle the problem. -- Antara