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Severance Pay – How Employers Try to Stiff Employees

I am a Hawaiian who works in Taiwan for reference. Any contractual job here is legally binding, so should company A decide to let go party B for any reason makes party B a recipient of severance pay. Most foreigners, here, do not know that they could be compensated for the remainder of the contract. It does not matter the reason of termination because every VISA revoked is an automatic compensation. Also, most foreigners, do not even know that the process of going to labor affairs being very simple in getting compensated. Many companies will try to just pay the final pay for the month. They even try to charge people for early termination because it cost the company lots of money. Employees get screwed because the contract stated that early terminations must be compensated, but it is illegal. Why do companies want to treat us like crap, and then…


I am a Hawaiian who works in Taiwan for reference.

Any contractual job here is legally binding, so should company A decide to let go party B for any reason makes party B a recipient of severance pay.

Most foreigners, here, do not know that they could be compensated for the remainder of the contract. It does not matter the reason of termination because every VISA revoked is an automatic compensation. Also, most foreigners, do not even know that the process of going to labor affairs being very simple in getting compensated.

Many companies will try to just pay the final pay for the month. They even try to charge people for early termination because it cost the company lots of money. Employees get screwed because the contract stated that early terminations must be compensated, but it is illegal. Why do companies want to treat us like crap, and then make us pay for being fired? Quitting, I understand…pay dues and then bounce, but being fired is a joke.

Once, I went to a headquarter of a company and sat down with three people. A manger, translator, and an accountant. I was told that my final pay is here, and that I must sign the paper claiming I received it all in cash. The payment was short ?,000s of dollars for my contract. They claimed that I did not qualified for severance pay. I looked at the accountant and told her that I am going to record her…”Do you know that you are legally required to pay me for severance?” She said that my pay was all here. I mentioned that this was my worked hours, but what about my pay for the rest of the month for being let go, and two full months of support for early termination, and 20% for the remaining months on the contract? She said that I do not qualify, so I thanked her and told her that I will go to labor affairs now.

I knew she was lying, but I told her that not knowing the law makes her a bad accountant, and that she should be audited for her work at this company. I walked out and told the three people to keep the money because the court will collect my full payment. The same day, they told me to come back as they had figured out my new payment. They would not tell me over the phone, so I was worried.

When I arrived there, instead of being ?,000$ of dollars short, I was short a few hundred dollars. I did not want to see them again, so I signed the documents and left.

So many people would have signed the first time losing a lot of compensation, and companies like company A enjoy not paying out. It is deceiving. Many of us have to find a job soon or leave the country, so at least for giving us an inconvenience, pay us according to the law.

Would you have continued to fight for the few hundreds of dollars or just take whatever they offered like what I did?

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