Following an interruption of six weeks, the Independence Evening Post (自立晚報) appeared on the city's newsstands again yesterday.
The newspaper has chronicled Taiwan's democratization for more than half a century, but it remains uncertain how long it's "second life" will last.
The employees agreed to work without getting paid until new financial backers can be found, despite an ongoing labor dispute with management -- according to a representative of the newspaper.
"During the 54-year history of the Post, the paper had never failed to cover any election battles. With the Dec. 1 polls drawing near, we hope to continue this tradition," said Huang Ming-lu (黃明陸), acting board director of the paper.
He noted that the resumption of the paper's production, which had ceased on Oct. 2, was not because of assistance from any political or business groups. "It was achieved solely through the workers' effort. It is the first time in this country that a newspaper is run by the workers themselves," he said.
There are around 150 workers in the paper's Taipei office -- about fifty less than when the paper was closed. Nearly 20,000 copies were printed yesterday.
Huang said the operation is profitable so far, relying on money made from advertising and sales. But he conceded that no one at the paper has an idea how long it will last. "We just take one day at a time," he said.
The workers' union said they are still waiting for the courts to decide whether the paper's previous owners, Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) and Chang Fu-tai (張福泰), have to pay the money they owe the workers.
The country's oldest newspaper ceased publication six weeks ago after getting swamped by financial difficulties. In mid-September, the newspaper's chairman, 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, a Taipei City councilor and the chairman between October last year and July 26 of this year, 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, alleging that the two embezzled NT$8 million in workers' insurance fees and failed to pay salaries for two months.
After getting no response from their bosses, the employees launched a series of protests and have sought assistance from the Bureau of Labor Affairs of the Taipei City government.
Both Wang and Chang said yesterday that they were glad to learn the news that production had resumed. They said they wished the paper the best of luck.
Wang maintained that he was no longer liable for the paper because he had sold all his company shares in July. Chang said he hoped the arguments can be sorted out peacefully through judicial channels.
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