The families of victims who lost their lives in a fire at a Taichung facility owned by supermarket chain PX Mart said they have not received any statutory compensation.
Nine people died in the fire in December last year at an under-construction processing center belonging to PX Mart.
Family members of the victims quoted the contractor as saying that they could not start discussing the statutory compensation amount until the investigation result of the cause of the blaze is released.
Photo: CNA
PX Mart and contractors are still shirking responsibility even though it has been four months since the fire, said the relatives.
They said they only received consolation money, ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, from different parties including PX Mart, a construction company, the Taichung City government’s Labor Affairs Bureau and the Pingtung County government.
“The lives [of their dead relatives] are cheap,” they said.
There has been no news from PX Mart after it paid one-time consolation money, they said, accusing the supermarket chain of ignoring their suffering.
The sister of a victim, surnamed Kuo (郭), said PX Mart never contacted her family after the fire.
Her 70-year-old father, who her brother cared for before the accident, often calls out her brother’s name in the middle of the night, she said.
They have to pay rent, and only two small contractors have visited the family, she said.
The sister of a victim, surnamed Liu (廖), said their mother, who lost her son and grandson in this fire, keeps asking how the incident is being handled, she said.
The family hopes they can get an answer as soon as possible so that everyone can return to their normal lives.
They called for the government and relevant authorities to properly address the issue.
The Taichung City government’s Labor Affairs Bureau said NT$300,000 in consolation money for work-related death per person has been paid to the families of four victims who had household registration in Taichung.
Eight victims who suffered injuries have returned to work, while one of them has received a NT$6,000 school subsidy for his children, it said.
Three people have agreed to settle, while the families of four victims are still negotiating with the contractors, it said.
The families of two Vietnamese migrant workers have come to Taiwan for negotiation and reconciliation, it said.
A report of the occupational hazard has been submitted to the Ministry of Labor, it said.
Taichung City Government’s Fire Bureau said an investigation report concerning the cause of the blaze was submitted to Taichung City Police Department’s Wuri Precinct in January.
It is to be ruled by the court, the fire bureau said.
Stakeholders and families of the victims have been notified so that they could apply for information and proof related to the incident, it said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS