Companies have developed several different ways of disguising mass layoffs, such as demotions, transfers or forcing employees to sign long-term contracts, and the National Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the HSBC Union plan to take to the streets to protest what they said was such a move by HSBC.
The protest is planned for tomorrow, but whether it will take place depends on ongoing negotiations between the company and its union.
“We have talked with the company and reached some consensus on the issue,” said Lonely Chiu (邱榮利), president of the bank’s union.
“However, because they have yet to issue a memo in writing [on the agreement], we still have to wait and see,” he said.
The trade federation and the union accuse HSBC of “disguised layoffs” of 500 employees by shutting down 11 outlets and transferring employees to different departments or branch offices in an effort to get the employees to quit voluntarily.
“After HSBC acquired Chinese Bank, HSBC went back on its promise not to lay off employees,” the statement said.
Deputy Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) said yesterday that demotions or transfers without negotiations with workers are against the law, but that mass layoffs were signs of “serious changes in the economic environment.”
Council statistics show the number of unemployed people has risen to 460,000, and the number of people laid off from January to July alone almost matched last year’s total. In the last month, 110,000 people registered to seek jobs, but only 60,000 job openings were available, the council said.
While the council has come up with plans to lower the jobless rate, such as the “get to work immediately” program, it has also predicted even higher unemployment rates for last month.
“This is an economic problem that we can’t do anything about … The labor market is reliant on the international market,” Pan said.
Taiwan relies heavily on exports, and if demand is down internationally, Taiwanese companies suffer, he said.
“This is a tough time that we must all get through together,” he said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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