ABS CBN News
Date: Sep 20 2017
By: Agence France-Presse

A group of foreign fishermen in Taiwan were locked in tiny windowless rooms around the clock to stop them escaping while not at sea, prosecutors said in the island’s latest abuse case involving migrant workers.

Fishing and boat company owners were among 19 people charged Monday in the southern city of Kaohsiung for illegally holding 81 foreign fishermen in buildings after they had berthed their boats.

When they were at sea, the fishermen were sometimes made to work for 48 consecutive hours without rest for a monthly wage of US$300-$500, the prosecutors said — despite Taiwan’s labour laws which stipulate a maximum working day of eight hours and minimum wage of around $930.

“The accused exploited the fishermen with illegal methods for their own profit,” prosecutors said in a statement, describing the fishermen as “slave labour in the sea”.    [FULL  STORY]