The government should permit firefighters to organize unions, and allot more funding to procure new equipment such as tools and robots, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators said yesterday.
The lawmakers made the call after a fire at a golf ball factory in Pingtung County on Friday that killed at least nine people, including four firefighters.
The Pingtung county government said that 109 others were injured in the blaze, while one person is still unaccounted for.
Photo courtesy of the TPP caucus
TPP legislators said that the industrial blaze has raised numerous issues regarding necessary reforms for firefighters, including the recruitment of personnel, and a platform for whistle-blowers to encourage people to report workplace contraventions, thereby preventing tragedies of this nature.
The government should allocate more funding for Taiwan’s joint research programs between fire departments and high-tech firms, enabling them to produce a new generation of mobile robots which could replace human firefighters, along with new tools and firehoses that would have an enhanced range and water capacity, TPP Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said.
TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has told the National Association for Firefighters’ Rights that if elected as president, he would permit firefighters to unionize, and have their rights protected under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), Lai added.
TPP Legislator Chen Wan-hui (陳琬惠) said the government should encourage whistle-blowers to report contraventions made by companies, impose more severe fines and punishments, and offer higher rewards for reporting negligence and safety infractions by businesses.
“The government can collaborate with private-sector insurance companies to incorporate found contraventions into a credit rating system for businesses, thereby improving compliance on industrial safety standards and fire codes as covered under the Fire Services Act (消防法),” she added.
Separately, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday said that the Cabinet plans to allocate an additional NT$8 billion (US$248.85 million) for the nation’s firefighters, increasing the budget for this year of NT$7.6 billion to purchase new tools, equipment and protective gear.
“No one wants to see these tragic events taking place... Our government is fully committed to protecting the rights of all firefighters,” he said.
Responding to the association’s unionization request, the premier said that firefighters are public sector employees, so suitable policies would be created in consultation with the Examination Yuan.
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