The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that while it is committed to improving working conditions for Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) workers, it cannot condone a strike held over the Lunar New Year holiday that was meant to disrupt railway operations.
Ministry of Transportation and Communications Deputy Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that 370 Taiwan Railway Union members took days off during the holiday period to protest what they perceive to be deteriorating labor conditions.
The TRA said it would determine the fate of those workers at a disciplinary committee meeting, adding that some people could lose their jobs for failing to request leave.
The union said that it has planned to mobilize 200 union members to protest at the ministry’s office in Taipei today.
“The union knows that the ministry is in the process of addressing their appeals. However, the union still launched strike action and caused panic among the general public, which is why the workers must be penalized,” Wang said.
Regarding the union’s request to reform the TRA’s three-shift work schedule, Wang said that the railway operator has used the system since 1988, following negotiations between workers and management as required by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
The work schedule has been approved by the Taipei Department of Labor, Wang said.
“Railway workers are told about the three-shift work schedule when they apply for a job, which is a specific requirement that is clearly listed in the registration manual,” Wang said.
The Ministry of Labor said that the TRA’s three-shift work schedule does not contravene the new labor laws, Wang added.
“The TRA established a special task force in September last year to improve the work schedule for workers and Taiwan Railway Union and Taiwan Railway Labor Union members were invited to attend. The task force has convened six times since last year and has yet to reach a conclusion. The TRA is addressing the appeals presented by the unions, including recruiting more workers and making performance bonus part of the salary,” Wang said.
Many senior employees have said in the meetings that they are used to the three-shift system, Wang said, adding that the same workers are concerned that any changes could affect their overtime pay.
Wang said that railway workers can be on stand by and rest from 12am to 5am, even if they work the night shift, adding that they can always rest if there is no task assigned to them.
Railway workers are civil servants as well, because they were hired by the TRA after passing a government exam. They are covered by civil servants insurance and will be compensated based on the pension system for government workers when they retire. They should follow the procedures to ask for permission to take paid leave,” he said.
In other news, MOTC Minister Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) said that Chinese tourists in tour groups or independent travelers have declined in the past year because of a cooling of cross-strait relations, adding that independent Chinese tourist numbers did not decline until August last year.
However, that decline appears to have slowed and the ministry hopes the number will stop decreasing this month, Hochen said.
“The government spent NT$300 million [US$9.6 million] last year to help tour operators affected by the decrease in Chinese tourists, which served as an emergency rescue package. We will move forward from there and focus on attracting tourists from Southeast Asian nations,” he added.
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