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9 June, 2026Filipino migrant women workers at TaiDoc Technology Corp in Taiwan built a union from nothing and won. Now the company is trying to destroy it.
After years of discriminatory treatment, including alleged restrictions on their freedom of movement and the dismissal of a pregnant worker, women workers at the medical electronics company formed the Taidoc Technology Labor Union (TTLU) in August 2025. They won reinstatement, they won four labour cases and the Taiwan Ministry of Labour fined TaiDoc NTD 200,000 (US$6,371) for violating gender equality and labour dispute laws.
TaiDoc’s response was to intensify the attack. The company terminated union president Elizabeth Basas and five executive committee members in February 2026, forcing Elizabeth out of the company hostel within hours. Under pressure, TaiDoc reinstated all six in March after the union filed complaints with the Ministry of Labour and a judicial challenge.
According to TTLU, TaiDoc arranged for 100 employees to join the union in an attempt to flood and take over it. When that failed, a group of those employees held an unauthorised general assembly during working hours and claimed to have replaced the union leadership. The local labour office rejected the move.
The company then created an entirely separate employer-controlled union. Together with this yellow union they launched multiple lawsuits against TTLU officers for defamation and forgery, demanding NTD 10 million (US$317,086) in compensation. Workers have been pressured to sign statements denying union membership.
Lennon Wang, TTLU general secretary and IndustriALL affiliate Republic of China Metalworkers’ Union spokesperson, says:
“TaiDoc must stop the union busting; drop the lawsuits, shut down the fake union and recognize TTLU. Workers are owed their recruitment fees and a seat at the bargaining table.”
IndustriALL ICT, electrical and electronics director Alexander Ivanou says:
“TaiDoc has discriminated against migrant women workers and restricted their freedom of movement, and is now trying to destroy the union they built. The Ministry of Labour must act, and TaiDoc must begin collective bargaining immediately.”