Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co workers yesterday threatened to launch a slowdown for three days in the run-up to the Lunar New Year in protest against the city government’s plan to raise the company’s rent.
The Taipei City Council passed a motion to increase the rent on the company’s parking lot, cold room and the space housing the No. 1 Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in Zhongshan District (中山) by 15 percent, which would nearly double the rent the city charges the company, union director-general Chang Pao-chih (張寶智) said.
He added that if both the council and the city government decide to move ahead with the resolution, the union would launch a slowdown ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 28.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“We will ask all concerned divisions to contact farmers and distributors to suspend the supply [of produce] during those days,” he said.
Chang voiced concern that an increase in rental fees would be passed on to employees.
“If the company’s profits drop, the rent it pays the city government could end up being deducted from our salaries,” he said.
Statistics provided by the company showed that it auctions an average of 2,300 tonnes of fruit and vegetables to 2,700 distributors every day, with the volume of produce auctioned during the five days ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday averaging 3,100 tonnes per day.
Asked about the union’s threat to launch a slowdown, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) urged the company, in which the city government has a 22.76 percent stake, not to resort to measures that would affect people’s livelihoods when attempting to settle a dispute.
“Since the firm was able to pay its employees NT$80 million [US$2.5 million] in bonuses last year, I have adjusted my policy [on the firm],” the mayor said.
“They can bring any issues to the Taipei Market Administration Office, but they should not launch a strike at their whim as a threat against the government,” the mayor said, adding that the firm should not have used the threat as a means for politicking.
He was referring to continuing personnel issues at the firm, which is still rudderless after 11 directors appointed by the Taipei City Government and the Council of Agriculture boycotted a board of directors’ meeting to elect the president in late November.
Asked if the rent hike would be raised, Ko said that the city is scheduled to renew its lease with the company soon, adding that the firm should visit the city government if it had any issues with the rent.
Separately yesterday, company general manager Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) likened the proposed rent hike to punishing the firm.
Responding to media queries before entering a recording session for a TV talk show, Han said that the city’s decision would be like “halving the allowance for a hard-working child.”
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