It is ironic that our laborers are considered outcasts in a society that claims to uphold humane values. If we read the labor contracts of ancient times, we realize that laborers were not treated as employees, but rather as animals who could talk. This is why Zhen Banqiao (鄭板橋), a Qing Dynasty poet, got a good name for himself by advising his son to treat a postman nicely, saying that "the postman is also somebody's son."
Laborers faced a terrible plight after the Industrial Revolution that began in the 18th century. Fortunately, their hardship abated as their value was increasingly recognized with the rise of social-ism, which shook the world. Their status was raised and some even praised them as a "sacred class." Ambitious politicians, however, seized this as an opportunity to establish dictatorships in the name of the laboring class. Some proclaimed themselves to be labor representatives while promoting autocracy. While they praised the workers, they actually trampled all over them.
What is particularly dispiriting for champions of workers' rights is that it is only in capitalist societies that labor is actually able to make a stand against capital. In socialist societies, the government is the employer and employees its slaves.
Taiwan's economy took off in the 1960s. But the contributions of our workers have been almost completely ignored. As the old Chinese saying goes, "One general achieves renown over the dead bodies of 10,000 soldiers" (一將功成萬骨枯). Today, perhaps we can put it this way: "The economy grows by one percent with the sacrifices of 10,000 laborers."
Moreover, the families of these laborers are often driven on to the streets by poverty and left to fend for themselves. When a soldier dies on the battlefield, his or her glory remains. But when a worker dies in the workplace, all that is remembered is his or her bloodcurdling screams. Some may even accuse the victim of carelessness.
According to statistics from the Council of Labor Affairs, an average of 25 people are killed or disabled in occupational accidents each day in Taiwan. The nation's economic miracle was built on the misery of these workers. I am overwhelmed with shame whenever I think of this.
The 21st century is a century of great awakening. Workers have finally realized that they should fight for their interests by calling for labor protection laws. However, capital has finally realized that its profits lie in development rather than exploitation. For its part, the government has finally realized that the most valuable function it can perform in this field is to arbitrate disputes between the two parties.
From struggle to competition, from conflict to communication, our society has gradually shifted from a monopolistic one to a jointly shared one.
Taiwan is the most fortunate of the world's ethnic Chinese communities, as it is the first one to address occupational acci-dents. Since 1994, non-governmental organizations and a number of legislators have urged the government to look squarely at the issue.
With the help of the Council of Labor Affairs, the Legislative Yuan passed the Law to Protect Workers Against Occupational Hazards (
The implementation of this law amounts to an invisible revolution. It has broken the traditional rule of "employers deciding everything."
From now on, injured or disabled laborers will have the right to decide whether to leave or stay. Inadequate compensation for workers will be replaced by long-term care. They will no longer have to live in fear of being unable to submit evidence to prove that they were not negligent when an accident occurred. Moreover, they will no longer have to live in fear of being confronted in court by their employers, because they will be given assistance in suing their bosses. Most importantly, their employers will be responsible for compensating them under the new law.
Of course, we are still dissatisfied with the situation. But great oaks from little acorns grow. We have taken the first step and labor, capital and the government are now in a win-win situation. With continuous effort we will soon achieve a truly equitable labor-capital relationship.
Bo Yang is a Taipei-based writer and long-time human rights activist.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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