Picket and Press Conference on Mailiao Beatings a Success

A picket and press conference on the beatings of four Filipino workers in the Formosa Plastics Group plant in Mailiao last August 2 was a huge success this morning. Thirty participants from different human rights, migrant and local workers organizations including students and religious participated in said activity.

Sr. Wei Wei of Rerum Novarum read the participating groups petition letter addressed to the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA). A skit about the exploitative conditions of migrant workers in the said factory was also presented. The broker and employer were depicted as vampires preying on the workers with the blessings of the CLA. Most of the participants in the skit were students of Soochow University.

Almost all the representatives of the organizations present spoke about their opinions about the sad event in Mailiao and demanded that this be investigated. Major broadcast and broadsheet media covered the activity.

The opinion of the CLA can be asked directly tomorrow in the afternoon. There will be a meeting at the said government agency on the brokers system with the participation of NGO’s.

The activity comes at a time when the Thai workers violently rose up against their broker in Kaohsiung on Aug. 21 because of poor working and living conditions have rocked Taiwan. Because of this, Chen Chu, head of the CLA has also recently announced her resignation from her post.

Those who participated in the activity included the Labor Rights Association, Taiwan International Workers Association, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Taiwan Migrants Forum, Rerum Novarum, Human Rights Program of Soochow University, Workers Democracy Association, concerned religious and individuals and APMM.

Again, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to those who expressed their support by co-signing the petition letter and those who continue to advocates for the rights and well being of migrants.

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Petition Addressed to Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs (CLA)
On the beatings of 4 Filipino workers in Formosa Plastics Group

We, individuals and organizations from within and outside Taiwan are deeply concerned with the beating up of four Filipino workers by security guards of the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) in Mailiao, Yun Lin County last Aug. 2. Their cell phones were illegally confiscated and never returned.

This was in retaliation for their staging a strike on July 14 and 15 to protest inhuman and exploitative conditions in their work place. This also came at a time when Taiwan society is coming to grip with such conditions as a result of the Thai MTR workers action in Kaohsiung most recently.

The four Filipinos together with twelve others were then illegally terminated and then forcibly deported back to their country. Two of them were severely beaten and were allowed to have medical check-ups in Hong Kong. A few others were also deported after August 2.

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has only indicated that it will investigate the workers conditions in Formosa when it found out that different groups would want to publicize the issue and assist the workers. In an earlier press release the CLA never showed any compassion for the incident and merely resurrected an old proposal by migrant advocates that a complaint center be set up in the airport.

The untimely statement by FPG on August 26, twenty four days after the incident and the inspection by Yunlin Magistrate Lee Chin-Yung seems more like a reaction to the aftermath of the riot in Kaoshiung since no follow up investigation on the beatings of the Filipinos at Formosa Plastic factory has ever been reported.

As such we call upon the CLA to conduct the following with regards to the incident and conditions at FPG:

1. Investigate the beatings and follow through with prosecution of those who assaulted the workers.
2. Investigate and improve the conditions of the workers in FPG with the participation of migrant advocates recommended by the groups spearheading this campaign.
3. Ensure that no retaliation be carried out on any migrant worker willing to testify on their condition still working in the factory concerned.

Overall, for the CLA and pertinent Taiwanese authorities concerned to overhaul its migrant policies and enforce existing regulations and laws that are beneficial to the workers. The CLA must find ways to enforce such regulations and provide a system of justice for workers to bring complaints without risking being sent home at best, resorting to violence at worse.

The policies that need to be overhauled and the subsequent rights to be extended to the foreign workers of all job categories so that inhuman and exploitative policies are stopped should have the participation of the migrant workers themselves and their advocates.

The violations against foreign workers and lack of enforcement of their rights must be addressed for Taiwan to maintain it's standing in the international community that it stands for human rights.

Names of Individuals/Organizations and Country:

Hong Kong

Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
Migrante Sectoray Party - Hong Kong Chapter
Friends of Bethune House, Hong Kong
Association of Concerned Filipinos (ACFIL-HK)
Pinatud A Saleng Ti Umili (PSU), Hong Kong
United Filipinos in Hong Kong
Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja di Indonesia (ATKI-HK)
Peggy Lee, Hong Kong
Bruce Van Voorhis, Hong Kong
Asian Human Rights Commission
Lee Cheuk Yan, General Secretary, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, Hong Kong.
Robin Munro,Research Director, China Labour Bulletin, Hong Kong
Asian Students Association (ASA), Hong Kong
Sister Mary Aida Casambre, RGS, Hong Kong

Taiwan

Migrante Sectoral Party - Taiwan Chapter
Center for Migrants' Concerns - Central Taiwan
Hsinchuang Filipino Community
Human Rights Program – Soochow University
Judicial Reform Foundation
Kalipunan ng Samahang Pilipino (KaSaPi)
Labor Rights Association

Rerum Novarum
Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)
Taiwan Migrants Forum
Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA)
Workers' Democracy Association
Nene Ho, The Migrants Newspaper
Ditma Trocio, concerned missionary
Stephanie Crutchfield
Fr. Joyalito Tajonera, M.M.
Chaoyuan Tsen, Secretary General, Awakening Foundation, Taiwan
Hsin-Hsing Chen, Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute for Social Transformation Studies, Shih-Hsin University

Philippines

MIGRANTE International, Philippines
Migrante Sectoral Party, Philippines
Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement) Labor Center – Philippines
Rafael Mariano, National Chairperson, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)
Imelda Lacandazo, National Vicechairperson, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)
Danilo Ramos, Secretary General, KMP and the Asian Peasant Coalition
Wilfredo Marbella, Deputy Secretary General for Internal Affairs, KMP-Philippines
Workers Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC), Cavite, Philippines
Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW), Cavite, Philippines
Alexander Martin Remollino, Philippines
Carmencita Karagdag, Coordinator, Peace for Life, Philippines
National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates ( NNARA Youth )
MIGRANTE Youth
Migrante Cordillera
Migrante Metro Baguio
Robert de Castro, Deputy Secretary General, Bayan Muna (People First) Partylist, Philippines

Thailand
Asia Pacific Forum for Women, Law and Development, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Action Network For Migrants, Thailand
Thai Labour Campaign, Thailand

Malaysia
TENAGANITA, Malaysia

Saudi Arabia
Edgar C. Cadano, (Journalist) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates
MIGRANTE SECTORAL PARTY UAE

Qatar
KILUSAN NG MAKABAYANG MIGRANTENG PINOY (DOHA-QATAR)
MIGRANTE SECTORAL PARTY - Doha Chapter
John Leonard C. Monterona

Australia
Peter Murphy, Philippines Australia Union Link, Sydney
SEARCH Foundation, Sydney, Australia
Rev. Brian D. Byrne SVD. Divine Word Missionaries. Sydney. Australia
Philippine Caucus for Peace (PCP), Melbourne, Australia
Migrante Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Gabriela Australia (Melbourne)
Philippines Australia Solidarity Association (PASA), Melbourne, Australia
Lorna G Bowles Sydney Australia

Sri Lanka
Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Catholic National Commission for Migrants

Bangladesh
Zakir Shahin, Krisok, Krisoker Saar (Farmers' Voice), Bangladesh

Nepal

General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT-Nepal), Nepal

Pakistan
Dr. Shahid Zia, Lok Sanjh Foundation, Pakistan
All Pakistan Trade Union Federation ( APTUF )
Progressive Youth Organization ( PYO )
All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
Working Women Organization-Pakistan
Progressive Youth Organization-Pakistan
Alliance Against Bonded & Forced Labour-Pakistan

United States of America

Coalition to Defend Immigrant Rights( CDIR)-LA
Justice for Filipino American Veterans(JFAV)
Pesante-USA
Filipino Workers Association-San Francisco
First Quarter Storm Network (FQSN)
Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP), New York City, USA
Liza de Silva

Canada

Ana Cagas, Canada
Pinay, Canada
Connie Sorio, Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator, KAIROS, Canada
Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance - Toronto Chapter (UKPC/FCYA-TO)
Vera Marie Vega, UKPC (Ugnayang Kabataang Pilipino Sa Canada)
Tanya Chute Molina, Refugee and Migration Program Coordinator, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Canada
Matthew House Refugee Ministry of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
British Columbia Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (BCCHRP)

Mongolia
Urantsooj Gombosuren, Centre for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia

Europe

Princess Urduja Foundation, Filipino Women Migrants in the Netherlands
Agliberto Aquino, ComunitFilippina in Toscana (COMFIT-ONLUS), Florence, Italy
Jake Clemencio – concerned Filipinos of Switzerland
Linda Loosli – Wings International
Noreen Huguenin – Tuloyan Pinoy – Zürich Switzerland
Donnie Mapanao – Migrante Geneva
Migrante Sectoral Party-London U.K.