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Hotel workers upset over government's `secret deal'

The Grand Hotel Workers' Union yesterday accused the government of conducting a covert operation by changing the hotel from publicly to privately owned.

The union's spokesperson, Lee Huan-yang (李煥洋), said a board meeting had been scheduled for Saturday. However, board members reached a unanimous decision last week to move the meeting to Friday, the day before the presidential election.

Lee said that the board members later decided to cancel the meeting this Friday because "some people" had shown concern about its timing, although Lee did not say who.

Lee added that the union did not find out about the decision until they read about it in newspapers. Lee said they were told that the board members will talk about dismissing the board and confirming a list of new board members.

The comments were made at a union meeting yesterday, where union representatives and the Grand Hotel's management were scheduled to talk about the possibility of making the hotel a private corporation and other issues related to privatization.

The Grand Hotel is registered as a juridical person and managed by the Duen Mou Foundation (台灣敦睦聯誼會).

Based on the briefing to the legislature's Finance Committee two weeks ago, the foundation was established in 1960 by former Taiwan Bank chairman Ying Chung-jung (尹仲容) and four other government officials with personal donations of NT$50,000.

The foundation charter indicates that it is a non-profit organization founded to help develop the nation's tourism industry.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is in charge of overseeing the foundation's operation.

During yesterday's meeting, however, verbal disputes broke out as union representatives were upset that the foundation's chairwoman, Christine Tsung (宗才怡), did not attend the morning discussions.

Tsung appeared at the afternoon meeting and promised to convey the union's appeals to the ministry, but the representatives were not impressed.

"She talked like a politician," Lee said.

Meanwhile, the union also petitioned for labor representatives to be allowed to attend future board meetings.

Tourism Bureau Deputy Director General Hsieh Wei-chun (謝謂君) also attended the meeting yesterday. He said that the board had only scheduled the meeting for this Friday. The meeting was eventually canceled because of opposition from the union, he said.

Hsieh also indicated that the meeting scheduled for Friday was to be used to present the foundation's financial statement.

Hsieh reiterated that privatizing the Grand Hotel was a national policy, and there was no timeline as to when it would be accomplished.

"We have to first assess the value of the assets and ensure that workers' interests are protected before that could happen," he said.
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