“For foreign workers, dreams are broken by harsh conditions, remade by kind bosses”
Rou looked stunned. The Indonesian youth had just been dismissed two days earlier. “The boss said to leave,” he said. When asked why, he replied, “He said he cannot pay wages.”…
He has not been paid for three months…
Rou and his friends are foreign workers. They arrived on E 9 visas for “nonprofessional employment”…
“It took me one year and six months to prepare for this. Competition for E 9 visas is extremely fierce,” said Tai from Vietnam…
“The company gave me loads of work at once to avoid paying overtime and exposed me to dangerous machinery,” Tai said. In response to a request to transfer to another workplace, the employer replied, “If that’s how you feel, go back to Vietnam. If you don’t do your job, I can discipline you. I have that authority,” and refused…
…Critics say the system — intended to resolve domestic labor shortages through foreign labor support — has become a modern form of slavery…
“From the day after I asked for a transfer, my in and out attendance stopped being recorded,”…Tai was placed on forced leave for poor compliance…
Tai was punished and eventually fired last month, but still could not report the company to the labor office…