Taiwan: Migrant workers reportedly pay up to USD6150 to secure low-wage jobs producing goods for multinationals; incl. comments from L'Oreal, Walmart & others
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Feb 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Chin Poon Industrial - Supplier , Bosch - Buyer , Continental AG - Buyer , HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA - Buyer , Magna - Buyer , Visteon - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Vietnam , Manufacturing: General )Issues
Wage Theft , Recruitment FeesResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Bosch, Continental and Hella committed to addressing the problems while Magna and Visteon reportedly did not. CPI has reportedly started to reimburse migrant workers for paying fees, with the final amount of what CPI promised to reimburse due in March 2023, and stated that no future recruits would pay fees.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Feb 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation - Supplier , Continental AG - Buyer , Walmart - Buyer , Niagara Bottling LLC - Buyer , DSM - Former buyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Vietnam , Plastics )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Wage Theft , Withholding Passports , Restricted mobility , Forced Labour & Modern Slavery , Debt BondageResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: SSFC has committed to reimburse migrant workers equivalent to the legal recruitment fee levels in home countries, expected by end of 2023. Continental, DSM, Walmart and Niagara Bottling have said they are investigating the allegations
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 14 Feb 2023
Location: Taiwan
Companies
Hwa Hsia Glass - Supplier , L'Oreal - Former buyer , Veritiv - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Vietnam , Manufacturing: General )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Wage Theft , Withholding Passports , IntimidationResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: HHG denied many of the allegations. L'Oreal cut ties with the supplier and no longer sources products there, reportedly. Veritiv reportedly would not disclose whether they had audited Taiwanese suppliers.
Source type: News outlet
"Migrant workers squeezed in Taiwan," 14 Feb 2023
For decades, it has been publicly known that migrants working in Taiwan have risked — or endured — forced labour. But public attention to specific Western companies profiting from the exploitation at certain Taiwanese suppliers is rare...
Bosch, Continental, Hella, Magna and Visteon are major suppliers to the global automotive industry and buy directly from the car electronics manufacturer Chin Poon Industrial (CPI), where workers told me of exorbitant fees, punitive fines and more. After a few months of dragging its heels, Bosch committed to addressing the problems. Continental and Hella also promised to approach their supplier. Magna, one of Canada’s biggest companies, and Visteon did not...
Throughout 2022, Vietnamese employees of the huge plastics maker Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation (SSFC) told me about recruitment fees up to €6350, fines, deductions, retention of ID papers, tight curfews and other forced labour risks...
Vietnamese workers shared detailed feedback to me about paying recruiters exceedingly high fees for jobs, having passports confiscated for years, unpaid overtime, fines, threats and more… HHG told me that passports had been returned to workers, denied that overtime is unpaid, said ‘fines are minimal, meant to ensure they follow company policy’ and that ‘ethical recruitment is our policy...’...
Walmart, Niagara, Bosch, Continental, Hella, DSM, Magna, Visteon and Veritiv wouldn’t disclose if they had ever audited their Taiwanese suppliers, despite having sourced from them for up to ten years. Since my mid-2022 reporting, a number of audits have been scheduled.