Migrant Workers Sing for Fishers' Labor Rights
Migrant workers in Taiwan held a concert to draw awareness to the struggle for labor protections and basic necessities for the country's migrant fishers.
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00:00Migrant workers from the Philippines and Indonesia are performing at this event in Taiwan's southern
00:14port city of Kaohsiung, specifically in support of migrant fishers.
00:18They say that in the over three decades since Taiwan's opened its doors to migrant workers,
00:23the country has not done enough to protect them.
00:26Some of their songs recall how they miss their families back home, who they left in
00:29hopes of providing a better life for them.
00:32The organizers say fishers, who sometimes spend weeks at sea without Wi-Fi, face especially
00:36harsh working conditions.
00:38In particular, fishermen, they also contribute to Taiwan's economy and also Taiwan's society.
00:46So this event, we try to also raise awareness about that for the locals that we need to
00:53appreciate the works of migrants here in Taiwan.
01:00There are over 700,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, mostly from Southeast Asia, and they
01:16help to support Taiwan's manufacturing, agricultural and fishing industries, as well as taking
01:22care of Taiwan's elderly population.
01:25But they often face troubles with the lax labor protections and the broker system, which
01:30causes many of them to fall into debt.
01:32Now by singing in their native languages and Taiwanese, they're hoping now to put a face
01:38to the migrants supporting Taiwan's society and show more locals that they too have hopes
01:43and dreams.
01:44Kamistry and Tiffany Wong in Kaohsiung for Taiwan Plus.