'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