Got fired for asking my school to use standard international units in their science book

A guy posted here about his experience. It dragged on for months and months. Maybe over a year.

You can search @Hubert_Golightly

If they fight you, it won’t be fast.

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In the meantime you can find a new job. Shouldn’t be too bad to find a new one

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I’m looking, I’ve got like 3 interviews lined up next week already, with potentially more on the way.

I was just hoping I might get a quick settlement.

Btw, can anyone tell me if American Eagle in Taichung is good to work for?

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One poster here Lucid was in same issue wanted to end contract over his conditions. He had arbitration and yes finally he got a small settlement and it took him a couple of months.

You need to apply for mediation at the city hall of wherever you live (it’s free) within 30 days of being fired. Then you will have to wait for a meeting to be scheduled. It will be about 3 months from when you left to when you get your meeting, and there you can try to come to some kind of arrangement.

Only after mediation can you apply for legal aid and go to court. If you go to court, it will take a minimum of one year in the district court, one year in the high court (if they appeal the district court decision). If you win in the high court, there is still the issue of collecting the money from the school. If they are a family business, they can empty their bank accounts and so evade paying anything. I spent another year freezing the school’s assets, and it was only when I got a property they were renting scheduled for public auction that they finally paid up.

You would also need the support of someone who can read/write/speak Chinese to go through this process, because a free lawyer will not put in the necessary effort.

My advice is apply for mediation (the GOVERNMENT mediation, not the THIRD PARTY one, this is crucial) and then file a bunch of reports about the school for workplace abuse, any irregular practices at your school, like not paying your pension, labor insurance, etc. Most schools hate this. This can give you huge leverage to make them settle at mediation, much more than the prospect of going to court. I got a largish settlement from my last employer by doing this. They paid the settlement on the agreement I call and drop my complaints with the Labor Bureau/Workforce Development Agency.

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If I remember correctly you have the right to terminate mediation at any time to initiate court proceedings

You need the receipt from the mediation meeting to present to the legal aid foundation. Plus, it gives you the chance to get money now, which is what the poster wants, not potentially be waiting years.

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It’s ok. I believe the responsibility lies upon the employer to keep proper records of disciplinary actions and conversations. If neither party has any record, that means they don’t exist, which only helps your case.

How about if i wrote to the school tomorrow and said to pay me a settlement or i will report their kindergarten for hiring foreigners, which is illegal in Taiwan.

Don’t! That sounds like blackmail, and you can get in a lot of trouble.

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Ok its just i cant really wait 3 months for mediation either. So I’m wondering if there’s a way to get money out of them a bit more quickly.

Have you tried just asking them for your severance pay?

Not yet, I will try that now.

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The kindergarten situation has got ridiculous. They need to either enforce the rules consistently or change them. They have this constant mirky area where schools with contacts either pretending to or really do have persuade foreigners that’s it’s ok.
It’s illegal point blank don’t do it as if you get caught the school will not care one iota. They’ll pay the fine and any foreigner will get deported or refused re-entry.
Whether or not the school knows Mr blahh blahh and the department of blah blah.
As for this case we’ll the school just made some BS reason to fire you.

It appears they have blocked my line account.

You’ll want documentation, don’t walk in. How about an email?

What do you mean?

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Since the Line account seems blocked, don’t physically walk in and verbally ask severance. Instead, send an email so you have everything recorded in case you need that later :slightly_smiling_face:

Ah ok I will draft an email today.

Edit: I have their Facebook account, which is not blocked, so I tried that.

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If you speak to them in person use your phone to record the conversation. That’s my plan when I go to the HHRO tomorrow