Activists bring their complaints homecto Taiwan

Hundreds of labor and environmental activists from 16 countries yesterday protested in front of the Taiwan Cement Corp (台泥, TCC) building in Taipei to urge the Koo's Group to solve disputes involving one of its subsidiaries in the US.

The protesters claim that Koo's Group's Continental Carbon Co violated environmental protection and labor rights laws.

According to representatives of the US-based Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers Union (PACE), Continental Carbon Co is involved in several lawsuits for its violation of local environmental standards set for waste water and emissions from its factories.

PACE representatives said that the lawsuits were triggered by pollution dumped by Continental Carbon Co's plant in Ponca City, Oklahoma. They claim the pollution contaminated the water supply of at least 25 families living on a native-American reserve adjacent to the plant.

In addition, PACE representatives said that Continental Carbon Co has been criticized for a sudden lockout in May last year, which which PACE said violated the labor rights of 86 employees.

In March, with assistance from the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU, 全國產業總工會), locked-out US workers came to Taiwan and urged the mother company, Taiwan Cement, to take responsibility for Continental's actions.

At that time, Taiwan Cement did not reply to the demonstration carried out by unionists and workers from the US.

Yesterday, representatives of Asian Pacific Chapter of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions joined the US workers in the demonstration.

The activity received additional support from a variety of local groups, including TCTU, the Taiwan Petroleum Worker's Union, unions from the Tatung Co and the Taiwan Power Co, the Taiwan Watch Institute, the Green Formosa Front, the Taiwan Green Party and others.

A statement released by demonstrators urged the government to investigate all local companies' foreign investment.

Demonstrators also called for anti-privatization.

Joseph Drexler and Rick Abraham of PACE, yesterday also handed their statement to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanied by Todd Carlson, one of 86 locked-out union workers, and Ron Sherron, a resident of Ponka City.

Petitioners stressed that the worsening dispute would eventually damage the relationship between Taiwan and the US.

Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文), secretary-general of the TCTU, told the Taipei Times that confidential sources said that the Taiwan Caucus in the US Congress would soon push President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to personally address this issue.

US unionists said that they would like to hear a response from Chen Yao-sheng (陳耀生), representative of Taiwan Cement and the president of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Taiwan. They believe such scandals caused by cross-national investment would hurt not only the environment, but also Taiwan-US ties.

Niven Huang (黃正忠), the council's secretary-general told the Taipei Times that the council would be keeping an eye on the dispute.

Established in the 1960s, Continental Carbon was purchased by China Synthetic Rubber Corp (中國橡膠, CSRC) and TCC in 1995. With its headquarters in Houston, Texas, the company owns and operates three plants in Oklahoma, Alabama and Texas.