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.
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