Shouting “incompetent government,” several hundred members of 10 labor unions yesterday threw cow dung and clashed with police during a protest in front of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters as they urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to review a proposed amendment to the Labor Union Law (工會法).
The protesters said they would never agree to the KMT caucus’ proposed version of the amendment, which suggests the government has the authority to disband unions.
“We demand the government adopt the union’s version of the amendment. We want President Ma to come out and talk to us,” group leader Chu Wei-li (朱維立) said.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The union members also urged the government to carry out its promise of giving unions more authority over labor affairs and allowing them to supervise their own finances.
Ma, who arrived at KMT headquarters at about 2pm to preside over the KMT Central Standing Committee as party chairman, did not meet the demonstrators.
Failing to receive any response from Ma or other KMT officials, the protesters threw cow dung at the police, who stood behind barricades and shields. The police later held four protest leaders for questioning after they failed to stop the dung attack.
Shouting “Release our members,” the protesters later clashed with police as they tried to enter KMT headquarters and did not disperse until after Ma left the building.
Meanwhile, at a separate setting yesterday, representatives from civic groups criticized the government for what they said had been a year of empty promises and ineffective policies.
Representatives from a labor group, a teachers association and a banking union said this year could best be represented by the character “empty” (空), signifying a year of empty election promises on the part of the president and the loss of hope that the government would help struggling workers.
“The government has not sincerely followed up on promises that were made during the election campaign,” said Son Yu-lian (孫友聯), secretary-general of the Taiwan Labor Front. “The result is that workers on the bottom rung of the ladder can barely feel the economic recovery that is being reported in the media.”
Despite promises of stronger GDP growth and higher income per capita, this year has seen unemployment rates reach new highs, Son said.
Liu Chin-hsu (劉欽旭), secretary-general of the National Teachers’ Association, said Ma had promised to place labor-related course material on the public school curriculum, but a year had passed with no progress.
The civic groups gave the Ma administration a failing grade and said it needed to “retake the exam.”
They also said May 1 was the deadline for the “retake,” and if no significant improvement is made, the groups will take to the streets on May 20 to mark Ma’s second year in office.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or