The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that it is coping with the potential fallout from the passage of amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) on Tuesday.
The Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU) has threatened to launch a strike during the Lunar New Year holiday next year to protest against expected staff shortages once the amended legislation takes effect, while freeway bus operators said they plan to raise ticket prices to cover the cost of hiring additional drivers.
Apart from limiting workweek hours to no more than 40, the amendments stipulate that workers must have 11 hours of consecutive rest if they work in shifts and overtime hours cannot exceed 46 per month.
TRLU spokesperson Chang Wen-cheng (張文正) said that the new workweek schedules would leave the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) short of 2,500 personnel.
The union said it would mobilize 3,000 workers for a protest in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei, the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan on Wednesday, and then it would consider whether to call a strike over the holiday.
The potential impact of the amended law on transportation businesses nationwide was the focus of yesterday’s meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, with many lawmakers voicing concerns about travel during the holiday next year.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told the committee that the Executive Yuan has approved a ministry plan to increase the number of TRA personnel.
However, it takes time to properly train train drivers, he said.
“We will adjust or reduce the number of passenger trains or cargo trains operating late at night during the transitional period,” he said.
“Through this short-term adjustment, we hope that a strike [by TRLU] will not occur over the Lunar New Year holiday,” he said.
As for the possible hike in freeway bus ticket prices, Wang said that the fares are below the cap approved by the ministry, so bus operators have a bit of wiggle room when it comes to fare changes.
Freeway bus operators would continue offering services during the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
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