The Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU) yesterday vowed to launch a massive members' conference on Sept. 11 to protest what it says is the government's sacrificing of the 115-year-old railway enterprise to the benefit of the nation's north-south high-speed railway.
Sept. 11 is the date of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the union called for travelers to use other means of transportation to return home for the holiday, so that the union's move would not affect them.
PHOTO: CNA
Union chairman Chang Wen-cheng (張文正) said that about 14,000 railway workers will attend the September conference to discuss a strike during next year's Lunar New Year holidays.
As a significant number of railway workers will be attending the conference, the union apologized to the public yesterday for the inconvenience it may cause them.
Some trains are expected to be cancelled because of the high number of railway workers that will take leave to join the conference.
"We decided to do so because we had no other choice. We have the right to seek a way to survive," the union said.
Union members gathered on a platform at the Taipei Railway Station yesterday afternoon to announce their decision.
The traditional railway system under the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) faces two grave challenges: settling its disputes with the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) and the government's plan to turn the TRA into a corporation.
The union's grievances against the THSRC, the company constructing the north-south railway, first emerged when the government asked the TRA to share Taipei Railway Station's platforms, tracks and tunnels with the THSRC.
The union alleged that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications apparently favored the THSRC when negotiating between the TRA and the THSRC about the distribution of Taipei Railway Station's platforms and tracks.
TRA deputy director Hsu Ta-wen (
"If the government can manage to meet the union's demands, its members will not need to hold the conference in September," was Hu's only response.
Viewing the completion of the high-speed railway as a serious threat to the survival of the traditional railway system, the union has launched a number of protests over the past three years, all without avail.
The high-speed railway, with its trains designed to travel at a speed of more than 300kph, will effectively cut the traveling time between Taipei and Kaohsiung to 90 minutes.
In contrast, the fastest trains currently provided by the TRA take at least four to five hours to travel between the two cities.
The union said workers of the deficit-burdened traditional railway enterprise are facing job losses because the government plans to revitalize the traditional railway, partly by axing jobs and reducing salaries.
Accusing the government of ignoring their pleas to secure proper operation of the traditional railway while the high-speed railway is under construction, the union has been staging protests against construction of the new railway since 2001.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during