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.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
The Taipei City Government on Wednesday introduced of a series of tourism promotions, including free sightseeing bus tours and hotel discounts, in a bid to boost the number of international visitors. From now until June 30, 10,000 free Taipei Sightseeing Bus tickets are to be made available to travelers who stay in designated hotels for two nights, cruise passengers and European visitors transiting for more than 15 hours, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said. Eligible tourists can ask for the free four-hour unlimited ride bus tickets by presenting their passports at the hotels they stay in or from the