Groups demand shorter work hours

Labor groups plan to demonstrate on Dec. 10 and Dec. 15 against the government's policy U-turn on the length of the workweek.

Organizers say that the previously labor-friendly ruling party has changed its stance for the sake of political compromise at the cost of labor rights.

"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was a human rights lawyer. Chen Chu (陳菊), chairwoman of the Council of Labor Affairs, was a human rights activist," representatives of a 16-group coalition said yesterday in front of the council's building. "But labor rights are being ignored and sacrificed."

The representatives vowed to call upon thousands of laborers to protest at the Presidential Office on International Human Rights Day, which is Dec 10.

On Dec. 15, laborers will again take to the streets to protest at the Legislative Yuan, where the bill for the 44-hour workweek plan could be under discussion, activists said. The legislature has yet to firm up when it plans to discuss the bill.

In addition to the two demonstrations, the coalition is also calling for support from 20 more unions worldwide for its preferred plan of working 84 hours per fortnight.

The targeted overseas unions include the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Canadian Labor Congress, the Korean Confederation of Trades Unions, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trades Unions and Japan's National Trade Union Council.

They plan to hold a news conference to demonstrate their support for Taiwan's workers before the demonstration on Dec 15.

Originally, the Executive Yuan had reached a consensus with industry and labor groups to reduce the workweek to a maximum of 44 hours. When the Executive Yuan's proposal was sent to a vote in the legislature, the KMT, which holds a majority of seats, proposed 84 hours every fortnight and passed legislation to this effect on June 16.

The new proposal in favor of a 44-hour workweek is a result of the consensus reached by the president's nine-person policy-making group on Nov. 21.

"The council, the interior ministry and many companies and labor groups have been getting ready for the implementation of the 84-hour fortnight. We see no point in the reversal," said activists, who criticized the "fickleness" of labor policy.

"In fact, a difference of two hours is not what concerns laborers. What makes us angry is the lack of consideration for laborers in the government's policy making," said Chiu Yu-bin (邱毓斌), secretary-general to the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (全國產業總工會).

Chen Shui-bian once explained that the government had opted for the 44-hour workweek because it must take into consideration a shorter workweek's possible impact on economic development.

"Chen always emphasized that the stock market's decline was a structural problem and unrelated to the change of ruling parties.

"By the same token, we also urge Chen not to blame the economic slowdown and industrial emigration on the workweek issue," said Hwang Ching-hsien (黃清賢), president of the confederation.

"They are the result of industrial transformation," Hwang said.

The first demonstration will proceed from Ta-an Park to the Presidential Office on Dec. 10. The other march will proceed from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to the Legislative Yuan on Dec. 15.