The Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau’s workers’ union held a meeting with representatives from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city council caucus last Thursday to discuss the city’s lack of sanitation workers and their excessive workload. The head of the bureau, Liu Bang-yu, said during the meeting that the bureau is planning to hire 1,200 sanitation workers over the next three years, but that next year they will only be able to hire 84 people, continuing the serious deficit of sanitation workers in the city.
However, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu told the media last Thursday that the bureau should review the efficiency of its workers before doing anything else, adding that every agency complains about a lack of personnel, and when they fail to perform their tasks or make mistakes, some claim it is because of staff shortages. He also said that after the city and county merged the number of sanitation workers remained the same.
Lee Tien-shen, DPP caucus whip, says that among all of Taiwan’s five special municipalities, the ratio of sanitation workers in Greater Taichung is the lowest with one sanitation worker for every 970 people, while the ratio is 1:956 in Greater Tainan, 1:800 in Greater Kaohsiung, 1:520 in Taipei, and 1:500 in New Taipei City. Lee says that he hopes the mayor will take the opinions of low-level sanitation workers more seriously.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者廖雪茹
Chao Yi-tse, president of the bureau’s union, along with other union leaders, went to the meeting last Thursday to speak out for sanitation workers, saying that despite an increase in workload after the county and city governments merged, the number of sanitation workers was never increased. Some tasks include collecting garbage, sweeping roads, collecting recycling, and disposing wastewater, but as districts continue to be redrawn, not only does the number of people a single sanitation worker has to service remain the highest among all five of Taiwan’s special municipalities, the area to be serviced is also the largest.
Chao says that the bureau currently employs between 400 and 500 temporary sanitation workers, but that they receive a lower rate of pay than regular sanitation workers doing the same job. Some temporary workers have been working there for up to 10 years, and still do not get paid as much as regular employees, which he says needs to be changed.
City councilor Chen Shu-hua says that one sanitation worker in Hsitun District has to service 3,000 residents, and questions how much pressure is put on one individual, adding that the city government should adjust the number of personnel working in each district.
Liu replied that the city currently employs around 3,000 sanitation workers, including temporary workers, but that after the city and county merged, the workload did increase to include other tasks, for example, collecting recycling and disposing wastewater, and admits that the current workforce is indeed not big enough, but says due to a lack of funding, they will only be able to hire another 84 new employees next year and will have to continue its struggle to hire more people.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
台中市環保局工會上週四向民進黨議會黨團陳情,表示清潔隊員人力不足、工作負荷太重,而環保局長劉邦裕也在會中坦承,環保局的三年計畫是要再補一千二百人,但明年只能先補「八十四人」,需求及供給之間有嚴重落差。
但市長胡志強上週四面對媒體詢問,則表示「做出績效再說」,每個單位每次都抱怨人不夠,甚至事情沒做好,提出的解釋也是人力不足,但事實上縣市合併,清潔隊員人力並沒有減少。
民進黨團總召李天生則說,五都清潔隊員服務的人力比中,台中市是最高的,台中市一比九百七十人,台南市一比九五六人、高雄市一比八百人,台北市一比五百二十人,新北市則是一比五百人,希望胡志強重視基層清潔隊員的心聲。
台中市環境保護局工會理事長趙乙澤上週四與多位工會幹部,到議會為清潔隊員發聲。他陳情說,中縣、市合併之後,清潔隊員沒有增加,但工作比以前還重,要收垃圾、掃馬路、資源回收、處理廢水等等,而且隨著重劃區不斷增加,清潔隊員不但一人服務的人口數是五都第一,面積比也很高。
他們表示,目前環保局約有四百到五百名臨時人員,但這些人從事清潔隊員相同的工作,卻無法領取相同的酬勞,有的臨時工一做長達十多年,同工不同酬的情況應該改善。
議員陳淑華也說,西屯區一位清潔隊員,要服務三千名市民,這對清潔隊員是何等沉重的壓力?市府應對各區人力有所調整。
對此,劉邦裕表示,中市目前包括臨時工,約有三千名清潔隊員,由於合併後清潔隊員增加了不少包括資源回收、清理廢水等工作,目前人力的確不足,但因財源問題,明年確定只能先補八十四人,接下來只有「繼續努力」爭取補人。
(自由時報記者唐在馨)
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