Taiwanese electronics workers fight for rights

TAIWAN: Young Fast Optoelectronics (YFO) sacked five union leaders and ten union members in March 2010 after the newly-established union raised complaints about rampant illegalities at the company where workers endure sweatshop conditions. In support of the workers and their union, the International Metalworkers' Federation urges its affiliates to sign on to the workers' campaign.

Despite posting a record-high profit last year working conditions for the 1,300 workers at YFO Taoyuan Plant are extremely poor. Aside from low wages, high work intensity, forced overtime without pay, and poor health and safety conditions, YFO also hired 200 migrant workers and 400 high school "interns" (some of them are below the age of 16, which is the legal criteria of child labour in Taiwan) and pay them less than the legal minimum wage.

The workers organized a trade union, the Young Fast Optoelectronics Trade Union (YFOTU), in December 2009 to address the problems. The management promptly dismissed five union officers and more than ten active union members in March 2010, claiming their production line will be moved to China. Trade unionists in Taiwan believe that this is a deliberate union-busting action and gross violation of the Labour Union Law in Taiwan.

YFOTU and National Federation of Independent Trade Unions (NAFITU), which YFOTU is affiliated with, have waged a campaign since the illegal dismissal demanding:

Reinstatement of the illegally-dismissed union officers and members;

Resolution to the labour dispute through dialogue with YFOTU and NAFITU; and

The government forms a joint-committee from different ministries and take thorough investigation about the working conditions and labour rights abuses, and prevent repetition of labour rights abuse in YFO.

YFO is a Taiwan-based producer of touch-sensor used on high-end mobile phones such as iPhone. It is a major supplier to brand names such as Samsung, LG, HTC, Qualcomm and so on. Google is to become the major buyer of YFO products through subcontracting the manufacturing of Google Phone to HTC and Qualcomm. YFO has three plants in Guangdong, China, one in Hanoi, Vietnam, and one in Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, and a combined workforce of more than 10,000.

The IMF has sent a letter to the Taiwanese government urging them to immediately investigate and remedy the rights of the workers and their union and calls on its affiliates to also lend their support by signing onto the LabourStart campaign here.

Additional information about the dispute at YFO is available in the YFOTU fact sheet available on the IMF website here.