Pei-Chia Lan,
"Global Cinderellas: Migrant Domestic Workers in Asia"
(page 3 of 4)
Shackles of Fees and Debts
The guest worker regime in Asia exacerbates the commercialization of
migration, which has dire consequences for migrant workers. In North
America, where migrant workers are entitled to acquire permanent status,
settled migrants act as contractors by recruiting relatives or
acquaintances back home. Yet, in Asia the contract workforce is
constantly replenished with new migrants, creating a situation where
employers and workers alike lack sufficient information about the other
party. They must therefore rely on private agencies as
intermediaries.[11]
The agencies can thus appropriate a significant cut
from the process of recruitment and placement.
Based on my investigation in Taiwan, a Filipina domestic worker
usually pays 60,000 pesos, or around $1,300 USD, to her broker in the
Philippines[12]
and the Taiwanese agent deducts "service fees" from her
monthly wages (the fees add up to NT$60,000 (New Taiwan Dollars), or around
$1,900 USD, for a contract of three years). The total amount equals to
what she earns in half a year in Taiwan.[13]
Indonesian domestic
workers are burdened with even higher financial costs. They have to pay
monthly installments of NT$10,000, or around $300 USD, over a period of
14 to 16 months—the total equals 8 to 9.3 months of their salary. The
charges, usually disguised as loan contracts, cover expenses for their
stay in training centers and placement fees. Taiwanese agents usually
give one-third of the payment or less to their Indonesian partners.
Migrants are usually told by recruiters that job offers in Taiwan are
valid for two or three years. In fact, their contracts are renewed
annually. Those who fail to extend their contract after one year rarely
get their placement fees refunded. The financial burdens of debts and
fees discourage migrant workers from asserting their rights. A group of
migrant workers in Taiwan reported the following with respect to their
fees: "Placement fees tie our arms from fighting." "We still have
five-six[14]
to pay at home!" "We are afraid if we speak out, we will be
sent back to the Philippines. We don't want to spend money on placement
fees again. We would rather stay in Taiwan, at least making some money."
Migrant workers, bound by financial shackles, exercise overt
resistance only when a contract's termination is inevitable. Open
confrontation mostly happens toward the end of a contract or when
employers attempt to terminate a contract. In Taiwan, migrant workers
are also deprived of the opportunity to freely switch employers; as a
result, some migrant workers manage to "run away" from their contractual
employers. Ironically, the deprivation of freedom among documented
migrant workers presents a striking contrast to undocumented migrant
workers, who are "free" to switch jobs and gain increased bargaining
power vis-á-vis unauthorized employers.[15]
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