The Consumer's Foundation yesterday urged the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to cancel the pre-sale of Moon Festival train tickets, starting on Aug. 28, if the railway's labor union decides to go ahead with a strike scheduled for the day of the festival.
The foundation vented its anger toward the TRA's refusal to hammer out a practical solution for passengers and for the way it initiated strike action.
"If the TRA cannot offer a response program for the strike before Aug. 26 [Tuesday], they should not proceed with the pre-sale on Aug. 28," said Chen Jung-hung (
The foundation pointed out that the TRA would be breaking the Consumer Protection Law (消費者保護法) if it insisted on going ahead with the pre-sale without guaranteeing a normal operation first.
Foundation lawyer B.F. Huang (黃碧芬) said that, according to the law, if a company fails to warn consumers about a product or service that could endanger health or property, and the consumer was in some way damaged by the product or service, the company must compensate the consumer. The compensation could be as high as three times the original price paid for the good or service, Huang said.
However, the TRA said the pre-sale would go ahead even if it could not reach an agreement with the union before Tuesday.
"The pre-sale will proceed if there are no special conditions. We cannot wait until the last day to sell the tickets," said Lu Chieh-shen (鹿潔身), deputy director of the TRA's transportation affairs department.
Chen said both the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the TRA should make preparations for the possible strike.
He pointed out that the ministry should ensure the smooth operation of all alternative transportation on the day of the Moon Festival, which this year falls on Sept. 11. He also asked the ministry to map out a plan for traffic control on the nation's highways so they can function at full capacity during the festival period.
Chen also suggested that the TRA offers employees bonuses for working on Sept. 11 and informs the public in advance which trains will run that day.
The foundation also expressed disappointment in the strike action.
The union decided last month to stage a Moon Festival strike by holding a conference of members on Sept. 11. The union said it is concerned over privatization plans and the high-speed railway.
Huang said that civil servants were not allowed to strike and that the union did not meet the Union Law (
"Basically, their reasons for a strike are too weak, so that is why they dare not stage a proper strike but are using the conference to circumvent the laws," Huang said.
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