TaiDoc Union protests strict migrant worker rules, union suppression

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) The union at TaiDoc Technology Corp. on Friday held a protest outside the Ministry of Labor (MOL), alleging the medical device maker has imposed overly strict management rules on migrant workers and suppressed union activity.

The protest was held outside the MOL in Taipei on Friday morning, with the union accusing TaiDoc of forced labor and violations of basic labor rights through its management guidelines targeting migrant workers.

A migrant worker at TaiDoc who took part in the protest said he came to Taiwan for a better future but instead faced control, punishment, debt and fear while working for the company.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous when speaking to the media, said dorm life felt like constant surveillance, with curfews, roll calls, and a requirement for workers to upload a photo each night to prove they were inside.

Even staying out overnight on a day off can result in penalties, he said, adding that workers who leave the dormitory to visit family could be assigned up to 30 days of labor service as punishment.

Union Secretary-General Wang Ying-da (汪英達) said TaiDoc's hard-line management is not new, noting that many migrant workers at its Taoyuan plant previously filed complaints about company rules, and the firm subsequently declined to renew the contracts of most complainants.

The company's rules even stipulate that any pregnant worker is to be sent back to her home country immediately, he said.

On alleged union-busting, Wang said that after migrant workers formed a union, TaiDoc summoned union executives to demand a copy of its membership list, pressing them to resign their posts and dissolve the union.

The company even ordered all members to withdraw from the union by the end of December or lose their benefits, he added.

As of Friday evening, TaiDoc had not responded to the union's allegations.

Meanwhile, New Taipei's Labor Affairs Department said that TaiDoc, headquartered in the city's Wugu District, has been repeatedly warned over suspected inappropriate labor practices, including interfering in union operations and pressing workers to withdraw from the union.

The department said it has ordered TaiDoc to make corrections and noted that the union has applied to the MOL for adjudication and penalties.

In response to the allegations against TaiDoc, the MOL said in a news statement on Friday that it would impose penalties if its adjudication committee finds the company's labor practices "inappropriate."