Pioneer labor activists urged labor groups to continue fighting for workers' rights yesterday as the Taiwan Labor Front (
"The goal of the Taiwan Labor Front, and labor unions in general, is to assist those who need help the most in our society, such as single mothers and the disabled, who have fewer work opportunities. However, despite the transfer of political power, improvement of labor policy has been minimal since the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front," said Kuo Chi-jen (
Kuo served as a first-term volunteer attorney for the Taiwan Labor Legal Assistance Organization (
The Taiwan Labor Front was founded on May 1, 1984, during the Martial Law era by a group of educated social activists who gathered at Taipei's Gikong Presbyterian Church.
"The Taiwan Labor Front is the country's most important labor organization, as it was the first founded by a handful of educated members who were able to raise awareness of socialist ideology and workers' rights," said Wang Li-hsia (
Several incumbent political heavyweights had been involved with the Taiwan Labor Front, such as President Chen Shui-bian (
"Before the founding of the Taiwan Labor Front, there was no such thing as awareness of workers' issues, as laborers were held in low esteem in our society and they were often too ashamed to tell people what they did for a living," Wang said.
Two of the founding members, Su Ching-li (蘇慶黎) and Yang Chin-chu (楊青矗), were arrested and incarcerated in the aftermath of the Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件) for their involvement in social movements.
The Taiwan Labor Front's current president, Lai Wan-Chi (賴萬枝), said the group hopes to propose more forward-looking, complete and feasible policies "in order to further improve the democratization of Taiwan."
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
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