Migrant workers from Vietnam are calling for a direct employment system in Taiwan instead of having brokers play middleman in the hiring process.
On May 6, more than 20 Vietnamese workers gathered outside the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office (VECO) in Taipei, calling for a direct hiring scheme to take the place of the brokerage system that is currently in place, VN Express reported.
Demonstrators pointed out that workers from Vietnam are required to pay US$4,000 as brokerage fees in order to go work in Taiwan. They said they want the fees to be lowered in the future and also want laws to regulate and monitor “unscrupulous manpower agencies.”
In addition to the brokerage fees, Vietnamese workers are required to pay for their passports, medical checkups and even pay a deposit to guarantee that they will not flee from their employers.
Vietnamese workers in Taiwan are able to make US$700-$800 a month, which is three or four times what they can make back home. Ever since Taiwan lifted a 10-year ban on certain types of Vietnamese migrant workers in 2015, Taiwan has become a popular destination for Vietnamese job-seekers.