Summary: | 碩士 === 國立暨南國際大學 === 東南亞研究所 === 101 === From the late 1970s, Taiwan's economic had quickly developed to cause a shortage of large number of domestic workers. In October 1989, the Executive Yuan approved a special measure to allow foreigners to be legally employed in the Fourteen Key Construction Project, began importing foreign workers. As the result, there was a rapid increasing in the number of foreign workers in Taiwan. However, after importing the foreign workers, Taiwan has faced with some problems, such as foreign workers left without the original owner's consent, they ran away. Although runaway, they didn’t disappear. They went all around the Taiwan to work and earn money. In December 2010, there were 379,653 foreign workers in Taiwan, however, the accumulation of runaway foreign workers without being captured was 27,534 people,
in which Vietnamese workers led first (13,458 people). Why most Vietnamese workers ran away in Taiwan? Why were they able to run away, not to be seized? Had any social network in Taiwan help them to run away?
For these problems, some researches were mainly based on “Foreign workers were captured and being waited to send back their countries" as the object of study. This study was mainly based on "Vietnamese workers had run away but not been captured" as the object of study. In this study, the researcher, based on the related information and other researching reports for analyzing, then used the depth interviews to understand the motives of Vietnamese workers who had run away, what are the factors/conditions that attract, encourage or force them to run away? How about are their lives and their jobs after runaway? How about are their ideas on runaway?
In fact, it is very difficult to find a job in Taiwan, but why could they go everywhere to work and earn money in Taiwan? The research indicated that because of not earning enough money from the original employers to pay for the debts of Manpower Agency Companies that they had borrowed before coming to Taiwan and of being threatened with repatriation or of being disgruntled by companies they have worked for. In addition, the "Unequal pay for equal work", different treatment and discrimination caused foreign workers to lost their confidence. Therefore, Vietnamese workers have chosen to run away. They have felt sorry and apologized for the runaway. However, if giving them a choice "to stay in the company" or "to run away" , most of them would have the same choice that is they would still decide to run away if the working conditions are not changed. Most of them think that they decided to run
away by themselves without temptation or encourage of their friends.
Besides, social network plays a very important role in the runaway of Vietnamese workers. The social network is not only to help these Vietnamese workers seeking a psychological security but also to help them to find their jobs, to provide dormitory or to assist them to hide the police. In addition, this research also investigated the relationship between of Vietnamese runaway-workers and illegal employers. That is "fish help water, water help fish" - the interdependent relationship between the two sides that cannot be without one side, both sides are interdependent
to live together.
In the process of field investigating of Vietnamese runaway-workers, the researcher found that because of the cutthroat competition of Taiwan's labor market, in order to get companies’ foreign labor orders, most of these Manpower Agency Company took money from the broker fee that foreign workers had paid before going to Taiwan to pay back to the employers that caused more difficulties for foreign workers to come to Taiwan. Whether it is one of the reasons that made foreign workers to run away and to find other high-paying jobs?
The results of this research may provide as a consideration for Taiwanese relevant departments when setting up foreign labor policy to assist foreign workers working and living in Taiwan as well as it may help to solve out the runaway problem of foreign workers.
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