Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流) illegally asked one of its drivers to deliver chemicals, but refused to take responsibility after the driver was injured by the alkaline liquid, Logistical Labor Rights Self-help Association chairman Tseng Yu-cheng (曾堉誠) said yesterday.
The company on Nov. 3 last year asked an employee surnamed Tai (戴) to deliver 10 barrels of silane — a flammable alkaline substance — from Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州) to Sinyuan Township (新園) without telling him what the cargo would be, Tseng said at a news conference on behalf of Tai, adding that the company did not even have a license to deliver the dangerous substance.
Later, when Tai was moving one of the barrels, chemicals spilled out, injuring his face and other parts of his body, Tseng said, adding that Tai has been diagnosed with the skin disease rosacea.
When Tai sought occupational injury compensation from the Ministry of Labor, the ministry rejected his application because it chose to believe a “false” document presented by the company, Tseng said.
In a transcript of a conversation between the company and two customers that Tseng showed at the news conference, the cargo was described as fodder for pigs, rather than a dangerous substance.
However, the accounts of the two recipients, surnamed Chien (簡) and Sung (宋), were false, as they had conspired with the company, Tseng said.
Tai said he had worked at the company for about 14 years until he resigned in September this year, lamenting the company’s indifference to his grievance.
“All I want is the truth,” Tai said, adding that the ministry should have probed deeper into the case before reaching a conclusion.
Tai presented a response by the ministry’s Bureau of Labor Insurance dated Oct. 20.
After consulting dermatologists, the bureau concluded that Tai’s skin condition had emerged three years ago and therefore could not have been caused by the spill, the letter said.
Tai could file an administrative appeal within 30 days if he is not satisfied with the bureau’s decision, it added.
Tseng and Tai, who said the bureau had made a rash judgement, yesterday submitted a petition to the Executive Yuan urging it to launch a new investigation into the case.
Tai in September pressed charges against the company for alleged document forgery at the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office, Tseng said, adding that they would seek help from the Legal Aid Foundation to file an administrative appeal against the bureau.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS