Despite shutting down operations last week, the employees of the Independence Evening Post (
The party was organized by the workers' union. Neither Wang Shih-chieh (王世堅) nor Chang Fu-tai (張福泰), the paper's former and present chairmen, appeared at the gathering.
The union had been in charge of the paper's operations since capital-labor disputes erupted in mid-September and lasted until Oct 2, the last day of the Post's publication. Chang had also abandoned his post, saying his chairmanship was invalid.
"Originally it was to be a memorial service for the paper, but later we decided to part with our sorrow and throw a birthday party in the hope the paper would be restarted soon. We demand that the two owners of the paper [Wang and Chang] come out to shoulder responsibility in a timely manner," said Hsieh Chih-peng (
Hsieh added that protests would continue today and would last until the paper's pay disputes are solved.
Wu Feng-shan (吳豐山) and Hu Yuan-hui (胡元輝), two former presidents of the newspaper, were at the anniversary to give moral support to their previous employees.
Lauding the paper's achievements as a chronicler of Taiwan's democratization for more than half a century, they hoped the paper could be restarted after the controversies were resolved.
Swamped by financial difficulties, the country's oldest newspaper ceased publication a week ago, leaving nearly 300 employees jobless.
In mid-September, the newspaper's chairman position became vacant when Chang, a doctor of Chinese medicine who succeeded Wang on July 26, claimed that his appointment was illegitimate due to irregularities in the selection process.
Chang has stayed away from the business ever since, while Wang -- the chairman since last October -- said that he should no longer be responsible because he stepped down at the end of July.
On Sept. 14, the workers' union filed a lawsuit against Wang and Chang for what they said was the embezzlement of NT$8 million in workers' insurance fees and failure to pay salaries for two months.
Hearing no response from their evasive bosses, the employees launched a series of protests and have sought assistance from the Bureau of Labor Affairs of the Taipei City government.
Cheng Tsun-chi (
He requested the new and previous chairmen present their contracts and note when they changed hands. Cheng asked that whoever the legitimate manager is make a quick decision on whether the paper would continue operations. The bureau could then proceed to handle the disputes following legal procedures.
A few days after the paper's interruption of operations, Wang expressed his willingness to take the paper back, noting "his special feelings for the paper," under the condition that the union be "moderately adjusted."
But he quickly changed his mind, saying he could no longer deal with the paper's intransigent union, branding it a "mob."
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