TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Giant Group says it has enacted the third phase of its response to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection order barring U.S. imports from its Taiwan factory, over alleged forced labor.
CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) in September, barring the imports of bikes from Giant's Taiwan factory, including bikes that Giant made for other brands. Giant can still export to the U.S. from its factories in other nations.
The new phase expands Giant's program to cover recruitment costs for migrant workers. The company first stopped requiring current workers to pay the recruitment fees, then expanded the program to reimburse current workers for fees they paid in the past. Now it is reimbursing eligible former workers who left the company in the two years before the CBP action on Sept. 24, 2025.
"This retrospective approach exceeds the scope commonly seen in international practices," the company said on Monday.
Giant announced the new phase on its website and said it will communicate it to channels including recruitment agencies in Thailand and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the company said it continues to work with an independent third-party audit organization to ensure alignment with international standards and address the expectations of relevant authorities.
"Giant Group reiterates that it will uphold the principles of integrity, transparency, and concrete action, continue to fully support CBP's review process, advance all corrective measures, and pursue the timely lifting of the WRO," it said.
Danish journalist Peter Bengtsen reported on his LinkedIn page that Taiwan's Giant, Merida, and Maxxis factories have reimbursed migrant workers $8-9 million since the WRO in September. He also reports that the Taiwan bike factory Fritz Jou has committed to reimbursing migrant workers for recruitment fees paid.
