More than 200 people representing more than 10 unions from across the country protested outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning against a proposal to revise the Labor Union Act (工會法) submitted by the Cabinet and originally scheduled to be reviewed yesterday.
“The current version of the law gives little protection to unionists, and now the proposed changes will give the government more power to intervene in a union’s internal affairs,” said Mao Chen-fei (毛振飛), convener of the Solidarity Union of Labor Confederations and chairman of the Taoyuan County Confederation of Trade Unions.
PROPER CHANNELS
If the proposed amendments were to pass, they would allow the government to change elected union officials if authorities found a union “in serious violation of the law” without having to go through proper legal channels, Mao said.
“Union officials are all elected by their members. It’s completely illegitimate for the executive to remove them from office without going through the correct legal process first,” he said.
“We have to stand up to express our voices because the Cabinet is telling the legislature that workers do not have anything against their proposal,” Mao said.
National Federation of Bank Employees’ Unions chairman Lai Wan-chih (賴萬枝) voiced concern that the proposed changes also include the removal of a clause in the current Labor Union Act stipulating that all workers above the age of 16 have the right and the duty to join unions if they work in an area or an industry with union organizations.
LIFE AND DEATH
“If that clause goes, then the unions could well follow,” Lai said. “It’s a moment of life and death for unions.”
Although the proposed amendments would allow teachers to organize unions, the activists didn’t think it was enough.
Instead, they urged the government to allow “nontraditional workers,” such as contract workers to become union members of the industry or company they work in.
Democratic Progressive Party legislators William Lai (賴清德), Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) and Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) came out of the legislature to show support for the demonstrators’ demands.
INDEPENDENCE
“I will defend the independence of unions against any form of government intervention at all costs,” William Lai said.
Because of the opposition, the proposal was not reviewed and voted on as originally scheduled. Instead, it was submitted to further cross-party negotiations.
Mao welcomed the move, saying that more open discussions were needed before passing the proposed amendments.
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