Tens of thousands of workers in Taiwan are expected to take to the streets on May 1 in protest of the rising unemployment level which hit a 15-year high in February.
Among the separate major rallies to be held will be one by the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions.
"We estimate at least 10,000 people will march in the Taipei streets on Labor Day," said Chiu Yu-bin (邱毓斌), deputy secretary-general to the confederation which has some 300,000 members.
"The government must effectively solve the unemployment issue," Chiu said, speaking of the major appeal of the protest.
Another workers' group also plan a similar-sized protest in the capital on the same day.
Unemployment rose to 3.73 percent in February jobless rate -- up from 3.35 percent the previous month, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). The previous high was August 1985 when the jobless rate reached 4.10 percent. The jobless rate is relatively low by international standards.
The rise was attributed primarily to "extended economic weakness worldwide, domestic industrial structural adjustments, and difficulties experienced by non-electronics industries," said Census Bureau Deputy Director Chen Jin-cherng.
The trade unions will also demand that the government cut the number of foreign workers. "The number of alien workers must be reduced," Chiu said.
"To a certain extent, foreign workers have replaced many domestic workers. The situation was particularly apparent in the manufacturing sector," he said.
Taiwan has let in some 300,000 foreign workers and maids -- notably from the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The demonstrators will also urge the government to amend legislation to provide better insurance for the unemployed.
Meanwhile, The Council of Labor Affairs under the Executive Yuan said yesterday that the council is working to help middle-aged women find jobs by making available positions that are presently offered to foreign females
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