Labor rights groups would make seven key demands — including a call for a four-day workweek and additional public holidays — during a Labor Day march in Taipei on Thursday next week, the groups said on Monday.
The Labor Day 51 Alliance, a coalition of dozens of Taiwanese labor unions and non-governmental organizations, said the march would begin on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building, proceed along Zhongxiao W Road and Zhongshan S Road, before returning to the boulevard.
The alliance expects up to 5,000 participants and said the demonstration would focus on improving working conditions, with one core demand aimed at reducing the amount of time people in Taiwan work.
Photo: CNA
The alliance would call for amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) to grant workers more special leave days and gradually transition to a three-day weekend model, it said.
It would also push for Labor Day to be officially recognized as a national holiday, said Tai Kuo-jung (戴國榮), president of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions and chief organizer of the rally.
Another key demand is the elimination of workplace bullying, Tai said.
The alliance would also propose expanding provisions under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) to ensure protections against bullying apply to private-sector employees and civil servants, he said.
It would also propose that workplace bullying cases be handled jointly by an impartial third party and labor representatives to ensure fairness, he added.
The alliance would also call for legal safeguards to prevent employers from retaliating against employees who file complaints or those identified as victims, Tai said.
Another key demand is to raise the minimum employer contribution to workers’ labor pension accounts under the new pension scheme. The alliance is calling for an increase in the mandatory monthly contribution — currently set at no less than 6 percent of an employee’s wages — to provide greater retirement security for workers, Tai said.
It would also urge the removal of the 45-month cap on lump-sum pension payment calculations under the old pension system, Tai said.
Wages would be another key focus, he said.
The group plans to call for an increase in the minimum monthly wage from NT$28,590 to NT$32,000, and for the hourly minimum wage to rise from NT$190 to NT$210, citing rising inflation and cost of living pressures.
To strengthen labor protections, the alliance would advocate for more effective mechanisms for negotiations between employees and employers, and for lowering the threshold required to establish labor unions, he said.
The alliance would also highlight the need to safeguard employment rights for workers in high-emission industries as they undergo low-carbon transitions, he added.
he alliance would call on the government to address severe staff shortages in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, nursing and childcare, Tai said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS