The Taiwan Postal Workers’ Union is today to protest at Chunghwa Post’s headquarters in Taipei, where they plan to submit a petition asking the company to enforce its “equal work, equal pay” policy.
The union insisted on holding the protest as planned, despite Chunghwa’s board of directors on Friday agreeing to give the workers a raise, based on a management proposal.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications had also expressed support for the proposed raise.
Based on the proposal, mail carriers’ salaries would increase by NT$2,494, while clerks at the service counters would see their salaries rise by NT$4,850.
“The plan still needs final approval from the Executive Yuan, which might or might not agree to it,” union spokesperson Chen Kuang-chih (陳廣志) said. “In addition to the Chunghwa Post’s headquarters, we are also submitting our petition to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan. We hope that all parties can understand the plight of postal company employees, and the Executive Yuan can quickly pass this proposal.”
Since the government changed the postal service from a government agency to a state-run company in 2003, employees in the company have been paid under two different systems, Chen said.
Even though former government workers and employees recruited after the state-run company was established perform the same type of work at Chunghwa, the former was paid more in salaries and performance-based bonuses, while enjoying better benefits, Chen added.
“Why do two employees do the same type of work, and one has benefits and the other does not? This is systematic discrimination, which pits employees against one another. The unfair practice should not persist,” Chen said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19