Ahead of International Migrants Day, a group of migrant workers and activists in Taiwan are demanding access to their own employment permits, which they say brokers often withhold from them. They also want stricter penalties for brokers that withhold the permits, and regular inspections to make sure these rules are being followed.
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00:00This group of migrant workers and activists is gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor today to protest against what they say is an
00:06unjust and illegal employment process. They say many workers who come to Taiwan don't have access to their own employment permits.
00:18Employment and transfer permits are some of the most important documents that allow migrants to work in Taiwan,
00:24proving their legal work status. But people here say many workers are never given copies of their own permits.
00:30They say the Labor Ministry instead gives them to private brokers,
00:33entities that people here say often make workers pay to buy back copies of their own documents. And they say they're fed up.
00:39By withholding our EP and TP,
00:43agencies will continue to make our lives harder, and workers will have to depend on the brokers.
00:49We want to be free from the exploitations of the brokers, and we want to live with dignity in Taiwan.
00:56Groups here say when workers file complaints to the Labor Ministry, they often don't receive support.
01:01But a ministry official said they have received over 2,000 such complaints this year, and in most cases
01:06they have helped return migrant workers' documents.
01:09The official also said they always give copies of the documents to migrant workers after they're issued, and said it's illegal to withhold these
01:16documents, with fines for doing so ranging around 2,000 to 9,000 U.S. dollars.
01:21But today, workers are demanding clearer and safer procedures.
01:25They want stricter penalties for brokers that withhold these permits, and regular inspections to make sure these rules are being followed.
01:32Ryan Wu and Kayden Squiranta for Taiwan Plus.
01:36For more information, visit www.taiwanplus.com