Members of the China Pacific Laundry Services Workers’ Union burst into applause late on Sunday night after they voted to go on strike by 58 to 17, following failed negotiations with the company to improve their wages and working conditions.
After the vote, the union announced that the strike was to take effect immediately and cordoned off the company premises to prevent access to laundry products.
Owned jointly by China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) — Taiwan’s largest carrier — and Swire Pacific (太古), the facilities are used to clean uniforms for flight attendants, as well as the blankets, seat covers and dining towels used on China Airlines flights.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The union sought a NT$10,000 (US$323.29) raise in monthly wages, an end to the use of short-term contractors without permission from the union and changes to charges for food and lodging taken from migrant workers.
Despite more than a decade in service, many senior employees at the firm receive a monthly wage of about NT$18,600, which is below minimum wage, the union said.
Wages at the company increased by less than NT$2,000 over the past 10 years, it added.
As of press time last night, the union’s occupation of the firm’s facilities continued, with lines of workers standing guard over the company grounds.
Tensions had escalated over the past month, with the union demanding raises after the company outsourced work to other laundry contractors, which led to a significant decrease in overtime pay.
Union secretary-general Lin Chuang-chou (林莊周) said that the company had no reason to keep wages so low because the firm recorded profits of more than NT$50 million last year.
He added that the company should stop taking advantage of its workforce, which includes many employees from disadvantaged groups, such as foreign spouses from Southeast Asia, Aborigines and elderly women.
“Over the past 10 years, the company almost never improved its working conditions. I think the point is that workers must fight for their own benefits,” union volunteer Chen Liang-fu (陳亮甫) said.
He added that direct action by employees could be more effective than recent legislative drives for the “four laws for pay raises” to legally require companies to share their profits.
China Airlines said its flights would not be affected by the strike, adding that the company would continue to seek dialogue with the strikers.
CAUTION: Taiwanese should be alert, even if they have just liked or shared posts that would breach Beijing’s national security legislation for Hong Kong, the council said Due to the newly implemented Hong Kong national security legislation, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has drawn up a list of what it described as “high-risk groups,” cautioning them not to travel to Hong Kong. People who support independence for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang; those who are critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Hong Kong government and the “one country, two systems” concept; and those who donated to or voiced support for the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill movement are urged to refrain from visiting Hong Kong, the council said on its Web site. It released two posts on
NEW HONG KONG LAW: A visit to Beijing-friendly nations or those with weak judicial systems could leave people at risk of deportation to China, a former MAC official said Beijing could request countries with which it has extradition agreements to deport Taiwanese to China to face criminal charges following the implementation of national security legislation for Hong Kong, a former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official warned yesterday. Some developing countries, and those close to China because of the Belt and Road Initiative, are likely to accommodate Beijing’s requests to extradite Taiwanese to China, said former deputy MAC minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺), who served from July 2, 2018, until May 20, and then returned to his former post as an assistant professor of sociology at National Tsing Hua University. While Taiwanese
MORAL COURAGE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the global community to face China’s intention to subdue Taiwan and reject such irrational requests The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday strongly condemned the Chinese government for meddling with US officials’ interactions with Taiwan after FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed China’s efforts to discourage US officials from visiting Taiwan. The greatest long-term threat to the US’ information security and intellectual property, as well as its economic vitality, is China’s counterintelligence and economic espionage operations, Wray told a video event at the Hudson Institute in Washington. Beijing is engaged in a highly sophisticated and maligning foreign influence campaign, with methods that include bribery, blackmail and covert deals, he said. Giving an example, Wray said that when a US official
IN THE PIPELINE: The Ministry of National Defense said the sale, expected to take effect in one month, would be the seventh arms sale under the Trump administration The government yesterday thanked the US for approving the possible sale of a US$620 million missile repair and recertification package to Taiwan. The US Department of State has approved the sale of a package to recertify Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington for an estimated US$620 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release on Thursday. The agency has delivered the required certification to the US Congress, notifying it of the possible sale, it added. The TECRO had requested to buy an upgrade package that would support an operational
RSS