About the Conflict at Mailiao

Tang Shu Labor Rights Association

The site for the Sixth Naptha Cracker Plant in Mailiao, Yunlin County is almost completely separated from the township surrounding it. Migrant workers have to take buses out of the plant to get where they want to go. Few people visit the site, but conflicts between workers on August 25 and again on September 5 brought the area to the media's attention.

There was a number of reactions to the conflict at the plant. Formosa Plastics, the employer, blamed the Korean labor management company, but the company claimed they had done all they were supposed to do, and said that perhaps if the number of translators was increased to 1:50 workers from 1:200 workers, things would improve. Other "experience" companies said that workers of different nationalities should not be put together, and workers should not be allowed to drink under any circumstances. The Council for Labor Affairs stressed that the three Filipino workers who had caused the problems had already been sent home, and the CLA had set a cap on the number and length of stay of workers imported by Formosa Plastics. The CLA also announced that they had fined the Korean management company and labor brokers involved between NT$3,000-30,000 for violating the Service Act. The labor brokers were also forced to shut down their operations, and hand in their licenses. Local residents were concerned about the conflict. They were also angry about the host of promises broken by Formosa Plastic, and declared they were out to "put an end" to the business.

Of course, the actual problem still needs to be looked at more carefully. The news reports and opinions are reactions to the problem after it exploded, and overlook key issues. First, Formosa Plastics is the company that imported the laborers, and is responsible for them. The company should not try to shift responsibility to other companies. It's too late to bring up points now like bad communication with the Korean labor management company, increasing the number of translators, prohibiting the workers from drinking alcohol, etc. Increasing the number of translators would not improve the poor working conditions or lengthen break time. Regardless of whether a single nationality of worker or several work together, if work stress is high, then conflict will erupt. Moreover, in most cases migrant laborers in Taiwan work with local workers, as most companies are limited to importing 18% of their work force from abroad (lowered from 24% six months ago), unlike large investment projects, which do not need to follow these limits. Yet similar problems have not arisen between local and foreign workers! Drinking is common to people throughout the world (other than many Indonesian workers,cause of the conflict was not that the workers drink, and instead we should ask why they wanted to drink? Perhaps just to relieve pressure? Then what is the reason for the conflict?

The CLA's policies are little more than afterthoughts, and make an error of principle. Everyone knows that sending workers home will not solve the problem. The CLA said they will carry out inspections of all companies that employ more than 200 migrant labors between now and December, and will cap importation limits of those companies found in violation. The CLA will also inspect a number of the smaller companies, randomly chosen. This is too late. Most of companies in Taiwan are small-medium enterprises, with less than 200 employees total. Many violators are bound to slip through the CLA's grasp. Moreover, the fines imposed by the CLA are too light, and will not prevent companies or brokers from continuing to violate the law. Finally, there are not enough labor inspectors in Taiwan, and migrant workers are trapped by their contract with their employers. Since there is no other way to resolve the problems, conflict erupt. The media in Taiwan has recently focused on blue collar workers in industry, but has overlooked migrant domestic workers and healthcare workers, who are often heavily exploited, without protection, but also removed from view.

Of course the culture, language, lifestyle, etc., of peoples around the world are all different, but this is not the main reason for the conflict between migrant workers in Taiwan. If this were the case, how would we explain the peaceful coexistence of migrant and local workers? Difference may create friction during work, but this will not necessarily expand to a conflict between thousands of workers. In the latest conflict in Mailiao, Thai workers requested that the company improve their living conditions and work environment. We should look at this request more carefully.

The reaction of nearby residents is understandable. The area is a fishing community in slow decline. The residents were hoping that the industrial park near their home would bring them prosperity, but all it brought was pollution, a host of broken promises, and conflicts between migrant workers. Their sense of unease is now a shared feeling among most people in Taiwan, but migrant workers should not be used as a scapegoat.