In anticipation of opposition from industries to a draft amendment that would remove an obstacle to going on strike, union representatives and academics urged the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) to stand its ground.
The council recently completed a proposed revision of the Labor Union Law (工會法) and Settlement of Labor-Management Disputes Act (勞資爭議處理法) that would loosen restrictions against striking in most sectors. Teachers, public office workers and Ministry of National Defense staff would be the only exclusions to the new rules.
If passed, labor unions would no longer be required to convene an assembly to vote on whether to strike, which can be difficult for large unions.
A union would be permitted to call a strike if at least half of its members approved it in an anonymous vote.
However, industries that concern public safety, including water, electric and gas utilities as well as medical institutions, would still require a “minimum level” of service in the event of a strike.
The minimum level must be negotiated between management and workers before the strike begins.
“The objective of the amendment is to seek stability in relations between management and workers, not to encourage workers to go on strike,” Council of Labor Affairs Deputy Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) said.
Pan said the council also planned to establish an arbitration system to give workers another option for negotiation through a neutral third-party.
“[The amendment] seeks to avoid conflicts, not start [them],” he said.
Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-lian (孫友聯) said strikes were a “last resort” for workers. Workers do not go on strike without carefully weighing the potential impact on society, he said.
Son regretted that the council’s amendment would exclude teachers.
“It is still a shame that teachers can’t go on strike,” he said.
Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions secretary-general Hsieh Tsuan-chih (謝創智) expressed concern that some government agencies and businesses would lobby against the plan.
“We hope the CLA will stand its ground and not exempt more industries” from the amendment, he said.
Lin Jia-he (林佳和), an assistant professor of law at National Chengchi University, said the public should not think that the amendment would prompt more strikes and hurt economic productivity.
“On the contrary, if dissatisfied workers can effectively resolve issues with their employers, they will work harder and be more productive,” he said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS