TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A metal manufacturing company in New Taipei City has been slapped with a NT$1.11 million (US$38,861) fine for dispatching its own migrant workers to three other factories.

The New Taipei Labor Bureau said Monday (Nov. 30) that it had discovered a total of 58 migrant workers being illegally shared between four Taiwanese companies. Besides the metal manufacturer, three factories specializing in printing, toy, and electronics manufacturing were involved.

The bureau explained that the metal company had recruited the migrant workers through a special government program before sending them to work in other factories. It said all four companies had violated the Employment Service Act and that they were given a combined NT$2.91 million (US$102,000) fine as a result.

New Taipei Labor Bureau Director Chen Jui-chia (陳瑞嘉) stressed that hiring migrant workers outside of their designated employers is illegal and that they should not perform jobs outside their contracts. He urged Taiwanese employers not to defy the law by hiring migrants through prohibited routes, reported CNA.