Migrante: 13 OFWs won labor case vs Taiwanese company

MANILA, Philippines — The 13 overseas Filipino workers who have filed a case of human trafficking against the Taiwanese company AV Tech and its broker won ten out of 12 demands, according to a migrant workers’ rights group said.

Migrante-Taiwan said that negotiaton facilitated by the Taiwan government’s Bureau of Labor Affairs last September 14 turned favorable to the OFWs as they granted by the company the return of their the passports and update the pay slip, which was two to three months delayed.

The OFWs also managed to bargain for the return their savings, refund illegal deductions, refund overtime pay, pay their salary for the month of September, pull-out the video monitor in the living room and bedroom, stop the verbal abuse, inspection the dormitory,and lay-off the coordinator who often verbally abused and threatened the workers.

“This victory on the part of OFWs further exposes the bad living and working conditions that many migrant workers experience in Taiwan,” chairperson of Migrante Taiwan Dave Chang.

Chang was accompanied by another Migrante Taiwan official and Allison Lee of New Immigrants Labor Rights Association when they assisted the 13 workers in their case. –Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)