With the Taiwan Railway Labor Union's threatened nationwide holiday strike only a few days away, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三) yesterday assured the public that the Taiwan Railway Administration will carry all passengers to their destinations on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese-language media reported.
The union will stage its strike during the festival next Thursday to protest the state-run company's proposed privatization plans.
Lin visited the union's office in Taipei yesterday morning but, as he arrived at the office too early, did not get to meet with any union officials.
PHOTO: CNA
Lin then paid a visit to the Taipei Railway Station and asked several railway workers, in the presence of the media, whether they will come to work on the festival. He was very pleased that all the workers answered "yes."
"I promise that [the railway administration] will have enough drivers on the Mid-Autumn Festival," Lin told reporters during his inspection.
"I'm confident that all workers who are on duty next Thursday will come to work," he said.
Lin is also scheduled to go to Taichung today to communicate with union officials.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday announced that the railway administration will have a total of 765 trains running on the holiday. The railway originally planned to have 487 trains running.
According to Vice Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Tui (
Meanwhile, representatives from the Chinese Federation of Labor and a number of state-run business labor unions gathered in front of the Taipei Railway Station yesterday and vociferously voiced their support for the railway union's strike.
"The railway union has the right to stage a strike according to the law. The DPP government should never oppress the union like this," said Lin Hui-kuan (林惠官), the president of the Chinese Federation of Labor.
Huang Der-chyr (黃德治), director of the Taiwan Railway Administration, guaranteed on Thursday that all trains will run on time.
He denied news reports that the railway administration will pay each employee NT$10,000 for working on that day.
He said travelers can purchase their tickets in advance and guaranteed that people will be able to travel by train to any destination of their own choice on the day of the festival.
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