A group of Vietnamese migrant workers at a food company in New Taipei City lodged a complaint with the city government in May 2019, alleging employer retaliation against a protest earlier in the month. Over 70 Vietnamese migrant workers staged a protest outside the headquarters of Mei Ti Foodstuff – a food company renowned for its bread and Western pastries – in Xizhi District on the 3rd of May, demanding the company pay them for working overtime and reimburse unlawful deductions from their monthly pay checks.
The rally drew help from the city government’s Labour Affairs Department and as a result, a settlement agreement was signed by the two sides under which the company agreed to compensate its Vietnamese employees for working overtime and return money deducted over the past two years.
According to the labour department, the migrant workers complained they had worked an average 16-18 hours a day without rightful remuneration. The employer was also accused of making unreasonable deductions from their wages by finding fault with their work.
Despite the settlement agreement, it was reported that the company plans to lay off five Vietnamese migrant workers, including several of the protest leaders. The company asked the five workers if they are willing to transfer to a new employer or plan to return to Vietnam, according to a city official familiar with the matter.
Following what the Vietnamese employees considered to be retaliation on the part of the employer, they filed a complaint with the city government and staged a protest.
On Tuesday, while accepting their complaint, Liao Wu-hui, a division chief at the city’s Labour Affairs Department, stressed that the department guarantees foreign workers’ work rights in New Taipei and will not allow the company to retaliate against its workers.