A coalition of labor rights groups yesterday clashed with police during a protest outside the Ministry of Labor in Taipei after the ministry on Saturday last week said that their campaign to repeal the latest labor law amendments through a referendum “might not benefit all workers.”
The ministry issued a statement questioning the groups’ referendum proposal to repeal amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) that took effect in March — which labor rights advocates said would cause more deaths from overwork as it allows people to work for more consecutive days with shorter rest time between shifts with less overtime pay.
While the amended act stipulates that employees can extend their consecutive work days to 12 and reduce their rest time between shifts to eight hours under special circumstances, the changes also set down the beginning date for a provision stipulating the standard rest time between shifts as 11 hours.
According to the Referendum Act (公民投票法), if the amendments were repealed through a referendum, similar legislation cannot be passed for two years, the ministry said in the statement.
“The change would affect employers and employees, and it might not benefit all workers. The issue must be tackled with great caution,” it said.
In response, labor groups yesterday morning rallied in front of the ministry to protest what they perceived as an attempt to intimidate them and thwart their campaign.
The groups must gather 281,745 signatures by July 31 for the proposed referendum to be held alongside the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
While protesters declined to reveal how many signatures they have gathered so far, a labor group member last month said that they had collected about 50,000.
After the groups’ request to meet with a ministry representative was ignored, they proceeded to post stickers of turtles on the ministry building, which they said symbolized its approach to labor rights.
A scuffle ensued when police tried to stop them from approaching the building.
While several protesters managed to push through the officers guarding the main entrance, police immediately closed the building’s gate to prevent anyone from entering.
During the scuffle, a woman fell on the ground after sustaining an injury to her head and was immediately hospitalized.
Wang Ching-jung (王金蓉), a specialist at the ministry’s Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division, later told reporters that the ministry respects the referendum drive, but believes it has the responsibility to explain the amendments to the public.
Additional Reporting by Ann Maxon
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