Pioneer labor activists celebrate 20 years' work

Pioneer labor activists urged labor groups to continue fighting for workers' rights yesterday as the Taiwan Labor Front (台灣勞工陣線), the country's first labor activist organization, celebrated its 20th anniversary.

"The goal of the Taiwan Labor Front, and labor unions in general, is to assist those who need help the most in our society, such as single mothers and the disabled, who have fewer work opportunities. However, despite the transfer of political power, improvement of labor policy has been minimal since the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front," said Kuo Chi-jen (郭吉仁), chairman of the Bureau of Labor Insurance Supervisory Committee and former deputy chairman of the Council of Labor Affairs.

Kuo served as a first-term volunteer attorney for the Taiwan Labor Legal Assistance Organization (台灣勞工法律支援會), the original name of the Taiwan Labor Front. Kuo's dedication to helping workers fight for their rights has been highly lauded by former and incumbent members of the Taiwan Labor Front.

The Taiwan Labor Front was founded on May 1, 1984, during the Martial Law era by a group of educated social activists who gathered at Taipei's Gikong Presbyterian Church.

"The Taiwan Labor Front is the country's most important labor organization, as it was the first founded by a handful of educated members who were able to raise awareness of socialist ideology and workers' rights," said Wang Li-hsia (汪立峽), a second-term Taiwan Labor Front member.

Several incumbent political heavyweights had been involved with the Taiwan Labor Front, such as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who once served as volunteer attorneys, and newly-appointed National Security Council Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), who acted as the first-term chairman of the Taiwan Labor Front.

"Before the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front, there was no such thing as awareness of workers' issues, as laborers were held in low esteem in our society and they were often too ashamed to tell people what they did for a living," Wang said.

Two of the founding members, Su Ching-li (蘇慶黎) and Yang Chin-chu (楊青矗), were arrested and incarcerated in the aftermath of the Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件) for their involvement in social movements.

The Taiwan Labor Front's current president, Lai Wan-Chi (賴萬枝), said the group hopes to propose more forward-looking, complete and feasible policies "in order to further improve the democratization of Taiwan."