4 - Migrant-led labour rights movement in Taiwan: empowerment, activism, and networking

This paper examines how migrant-led organisations and associations, mainly composed of Southeast Asian workers, developed in Taiwan since the 1990s. Despite their long existence, migrant labour groups have had minimal interactions with local labour advocacy groups dominated by middle-class Taiwanese activists. The paper interrogates the separate life courses of migrant labour activism and local labour movement. By drawing on the perspectives and experiences of migrant worker activists, such as those from the fishing industry, the author will make a critique on the structural limitation of migrant labour movement in Taiwan and what social and cultural conditions have made it difficult for migrant worker activists to access resources and gain power and opportunities. The paper provides glimpses into the intrigued development of migrant worker activism through religious life and work.