Fri, Apr 29, 2011 page2

• Labor groups looking for answers from Wu Den-yih

  SWEAT AND TEARS Activists said a number of factors, from deteriorating work conditions to inadequate social security, contributed to increased worker exploitation

  • By Shelley Huang / Staff Reporter
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Labor groups yesterday staged a demonstration in front of the Executive Yuan to demand answers from Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) on a range of labor issues before Workers’ Day on Sunday.

  Dozens of labor groups, including Raging Citizens Act Now (RACN), Taiwan Labour Front, the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions and the National Federation of Bank Employee Unions marched to the Executive Yuan to hand over what they called a “final exam” for the premier to take. If he did not provide any answers, he would be assigned a failing grade by the labor groups on Sunday.

  The issues on the “final exam” ranged from giving laborers the same rights as civil servants, such as having two days off per week, and raising the minimum wage to at least NT$22,115 per month.

  

  Protesters hold up images of Premier Wu Den-yih, left, and President Ma Ying-jeou outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday during a demonstration against the government’s handling of the growing gap between rich and poor ahead of Workers’ Day on Sunday.

  Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

  RACN spokesperson Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said the government’s failure to narrow the gap between rich and poor is trying laborers’ patience, and that the public is losing faith that the administration has the ability and sincerity needed to shrink this growing gap.

  “Everyone is watching the government’s response to laborers’ cries for equal treatment,” Lai said. “The people will show the government that we are fed up by exercising our right to vote,” she said.

  The labor activists said that a number of factors, from deteriorating work conditions in a wide range of industries to an inadequate social security system, had contributed to increased worker exploitation and unfair treatment by employers.

  The labor groups also expressed anger at Wu for neglecting their request for a “poor people’s breakfast meeting.”

  Last month, dozens of representatives from labor groups requested that Wu attend a breakfast meeting with labor group representatives to discuss their concerns. The breakfast was also intended to mock government officials’ frequent breakfast meetings with the corporate sector.

  Taiwan Labour Front secretary-general Son Yu-lian (孫友聯) said that just because the premier refuses to meet with “poor people” does not mean he can turn his back on laborers and important labor issues.

  Son urged the nation’s workers to voice their anger by participating in the Workers Day march on Sunday, when protesters will meet at the Songshan Tobacco Plant at 12:30pm, then march towards Ketagalan Boulevard.

  Separately yesterday, Government Information Office Deputy Minister Alice Wang (王麗珠) quoted Wu as saying that he will lead government officials at a breakfast meeting with leaders of trade unions today.

  Wang added that Wu expressed respect and appreciation for laborers who he said were the “hidden heroes of the country’s development.”

  ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Dozens of Taiwanese missing in China

  • 2

    Chinese who disrupted HK event deported

  • 3

    Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh badge a hit at Japan festival

  • 4

    PRC could not be ‘motherland,’ William Lai says

  • 5

    Donovan’s Deep Dives: China is already at war with Taiwan and countries across the globe