The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) transport service crew is planning to protest outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei on Monday next week against what they say is a “twisted” work schedule and deteriorating work environment.
Yesterday’s announcement came one day after the TRA said it would soon add 1,650 new employees who were recruited through a special exam for railway workers.
It also came after TRA train drivers threatened to go on strike during the long holiday weekend for the Mid-Autumn Festival next month if their appeal for a reasonable amount of rest time is not met.
The transport service crew, which includes conductors, station staff and other on-board workers, said they formed their own union earlier this month.
They said the rally outside the ministry would petition for a change in work environment and work hours.
The preparatory committee for the new union said that the TRA’s workforce has gradually shrunk from about 20,000 employees 20 years ago to about 13,000 last year.
Yet the TRA has also seen a rise in passenger volume as well as the number of train services, thereby increasing the average workload of each employee, the committee said
A three-shift work schedule and an increase in complaints from passengers have made the workload even heavier, they said.
The preparatory committee said more than 1,009 TRA employees have signed up with the union over the past week. Each signature represents a voice that has been repressed for too long, it said.
The petition is a way for the employees to fight for the things they have lost for themselves and their families, the committee said.
The TRA said that the planned protest should not disrupt operations, as it has enough personnel for the shifts.
In related news, the TRA said its intensive negotiations with train drivers to avoid a strike during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday have led to it agreeing to stop operating 14 passenger train services, many of which operate at night.
The rest time for train drivers who have to spend the night outside their hometown would also be increased from five hours to at least six hours, the TRA said.
The schedules for at least 120 cargo and passenger trains would be adjusted when the new timetable is published in October.
Although no official agreement has been signed with the train drivers, the TRA said that their union appears to have agreed to treat the personnel shortage and the execution of a plan to transport homebound passengers during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday as separate issues.
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