The Green Party-Social Democratic Party Alliance yesterday condemned the three presidential candidates for agreeing to be “interviewed” by a coalition of seven industry and commerce organizations, saying the candidates are siding with business leaders to the detriment of workers’ rights.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday spoke at an economic development forum organized by the seven organizations in Taipei, with People First Party presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) to speak at a forum staged by the organization today and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) to attend a forum held by the organization on Tuesday next week.
While Tsai said yesterday’s meeting was not an interview, but an exchange of opinions, the alliance was not mollified.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The seven organizations represent corporate interests and aim to persuade presidential candidates to seek trade liberalization, tax reductions, labor market flexibility and relaxation of environmental laws, and their agreeing to meeting with the organizations amounts to surrendering the leadership of their parties to big business, the alliance said.
One of the seven organizations, the Chinese National Federation of Industries, has called for the inclusion of measures favorable to business owners in a draft dispatch labor bill, and for adjustments favorable to industry to be made in response to the soon-to-come-into-force 40-hour workweek, which amount to an attempt to enslave workers, alliance legislator-at-large candidate Chang Li-fun (張麗芬) said.
“The ‘industry 4.0’ strategies business leaders have put forward are in fact attempts to exploit workers. Candidates should side with workers. There must be a voice representing workers in the legislature to end the rule of business groups,” Chang said.
Organizations have no right to discuss labor policy and tax reforms, as the real tax rate of Kinpo Electronics Inc — owned by federation president Rock Hsu (許勝雄) — last year was 5.7 percent, much lower than the 12 percent income tax paid by a worker earning NT$500,000 per year, while Taiwan Federation of Industry chairman and Prince Motor Co Hsu Hsien-rong (許顯榮) still owes wages and pension to his employees, alliance legislator-at-large candidate Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) said.
“Presidential candidates should be interviewed by the nation’s 9 million workers rather than a select few business leaders,” Miao said.
The alliance called for a reduction in working hours, pay raises, the prohibition of dispatch labor and the improvement of labor unions so that workers are able to share in the economic spoils reaped by businesses.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
RSS