receive the remaining money once the contract ended and after deducting
the loan.
An online feedback survey collected responses from Indonesian
fishers during the conference; they reported paying agency fees ranging
from US$550 to US$1,000 before boarding the vessel. These fees included
the cost of flights from their hometown to the recruitment agency, 23 predeparture training, medical exams, accommodation and meals, a security
deposit, visas, passports, and other documents required before arriving in
Taiwan.
While the Fisheries Agency cannot directly oversee foreign
recruitment agencies, it introduced three new requirements for agencies in
the fishermen's home countries with the amendment to Article 5 of the
Regulations on the Authorization and Management of Overseas
Employment of Foreign Crew Members.24 The agency has also reminded
Taiwanese agencies to work only with legally certified foreign agencies.
Taiwan's leading seafood trading company, Fong Chun Formosa
Company (FCF), has also launched a project focusing on foreign
recruitment agencies. They have found many issues and disputes related to
foreign fishers' rights stem from recruitment practices. Indonesian fishers
make up the most significant proportion of foreign workers; since 2021,
FCF has been collaborating with a local fisher service organization in
Indonesia to arrange training for local recruitment agencies. Experts teach
these agencies about proper recruitment processes and mechanisms,
including the latest requirements from international human rights
Most Indonesian migrant workers live in rural areas and must travel and gather at recruitment
agencies, with Jakarta or Surabaya serving as central meeting points for workers from across
Indonesia preparing to go to Taiwan.
24
Conditions for partnering with recruitment agencies in fisher’s home countries:
1. The foreign agent is approved to conduct recruitment business as an agent by the
government of the crew member’s home country.
2. The foreign agent has not been revoked or suspended its authorization for conducting
employment service domestically by the home country of the foreign crew member.
3. The foreign agent has not violated any local labor law or regulations in the recent two
years. Relevant documentary proof(s) and its Chinese translation shall be submitted.
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