A video of a group of Indonesian workers chanting slogans in Mandarin during an employment agency workshop has gone viral on social media in Taiwan, and has also drawn some criticism.
Some claimed the group was brainwashed to become “obedient, ideal” factory workers.
The three-minute video went viral on social media since it was posted in early July. It shows two lines of 10 men and women in yellow T-shirts standing in a military-like squad, bowing respectfully three times before chanting in Mandarin, the main language of the island country: “I love my job. I would work. I would need no days-off and I swear I would not run away while working in Taiwan.”
However, a columnist in the United Daily News was not amused. He wrote that the video could be some superficial parrot talk by workers trying to get a pass in a class to get work permits for Taiwan.
The trend of Taiwanese companies starting their working day with employees and managers lining up and chanting corporate slogans to inspire motivation and loyalty was, in the writer’s opinion, demeaning to workers and a way to strengthen an employer’s authoritative management, or worse, dictatorship.
Under the Employment Service Acts, foreign workers in Taiwan have to sign up to work for a company for at least three years, during which time they are not allowed to switch jobs even if they suffer workplace bullying, exploitation or abuse.
Many say the slogans promote and reinforce modern slavery and especially target vulnerable migrants.
The NO DAY OFF thing is Against the Labor Law . You actually need to follow the rules while working here and that’s a must. I love working here in Taiwan.