This morning I heard that one of my friends from the Philippines was deported. Guess how much time he had to pack up. None. He was awoken by his boss at two o’ clock in the morning and told to pack up immediately. His factory’s bus did not pick them up as it normally does and he tried to get to work by himself. Meanwhile, the factory had sent taxis to pick up the workers without them knowing. Because only a handful of workers showed up, there was no production for the entire day. Of all the workers that didn’t make it to work (probably 90%) only three got deported. The few that showed up were rewarded though. As a teacher I often complain about the exploitation that we have to put up with (I was only paid 25% of my Summer Camp Wages the other day), but it seems Philipinos and Philipinas have to endure much worse conditions.
I have read your post three times and still don’t understand what happened.
Yes, I heard of a Filipina nurse who was forcefully deported with only one day’s notice for having intestinal parasites.
What are you doing about your own salary problem?
Just don’t go beating up on any cops.
My friend was fired and deported at 2 am the day after he and most of the other workers at a certain factory couldn’t go to work because their factory bus didn’t show up. They tried to get to work by themselves. The factory wanted the workers to take taxis to work. The workers would have been reimbursed for any expenses incurred, but the message did not get to most of the workers. as a result of the transport problems and lack of proper communication, production was halted.
I put up a half-hearted fight and got another 25% out of them. I’m saving them for later.
Rinkals, I’m sorry to hear about your friend.
In case it’s not already known, and in case it might be useful to you or to someone else in the future, here are a couple of links to a little information about some groups that seem to be trying to take action about the abuse of migrant workers:
–the website of the Columban Missionaries’ Hope Workers’ Center; and
Yeah, it sure sounds those workers got dicked over. I wonder how some of these laobans in Taiwan can look themselves in the mirror.
yep, they stick it to the pinays whenever they can. many factories have deadlines to be backat the barracks/dormatory sunday night. if someone should miss that deadline for any reason they get deported next day. all the money the worker has borrowed to work in taiwan cannot be recouped.
lesson of the story? be aware of the situation and don’t let your pinay mates miss the last bus up the hill.
That is part of the problem. They can look at themselves in the mirror just fine. They compare their nicely rounded stomach with Budda and feel very prosperous. They check their inscrutable face. All is well in the world.
Like anywhere. There are good and bad employers, there are just less rules here to control the bad employers.
This is some advice I’ve heard one Filipina give to her friends whenever the broker/employer try to screw them over. If they take you to the airport and have not given you your savings, wait until you see a police officer or immigration official and tell them you’re not leaving until the broker either gives you your money or they call CLA/MECO. Run or yell if you have to, or just sit and refuse to get on the plane because if you get on that plane and don’t have your money in hand, chances are you’ll never see it.
I think the loabans really believe in using the stick and carrot whenever they feel it’s necessary. In this case four got rewarded and three got deported.
I don’t know this for a fact, but the loabans probably have the local mob to count on to keep workers in line as well.
Solidarity seems non-existant here. No strikes. There’s always a million more to take your job after you get deported.
I wasn’t a witness to the events recounted in the report quoted below, so I can neither vouch for nor dispute its veracity. However, if the report is accurate, it seems that strikes on the part of migrant workers are possible, although illegal and dangerous. I’ve omitted much, maybe most, of the report here, and the ellipsis marks (. . . * * *) and bracketed () material in the quote below were added by me:
[quote=“In 2003, Alice Brown, then-intern at the Hope Workers’ Center,”]. . . Kreetha Chernklang was beaten by thugs. . . . Eight men with baseball bats came out of two cars and began hitting him when he left the factory for dinner. Kreetha
Who are the Columbans? Earlier I misunderstood it to be “Columbians”.
I believe Goose Egg has posted this elsewhere but could be useful again:
Manila Economic & Cultural Office Information Services
Tel: 02-2778-6511
Website: www.meco.ph
Email: is_meco_tpe@hotmail.com
Kung kayo ay mayroong problema, tumawag sa:
CLA Employment & Vocational Training Administration (EVTA): 0800-885-885
MECO-Labor, Taipei: 02-2778-7951/2
MECO-Labor, Taichung: 04-375-4184
MECO-Labor, Kaoshiung: 07-332-6257