Lawmakers on the legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday gave Chunghwa Post one month to propose solutions to problems caused by staffing shortages.
The challenges facing the state-run postal service were under scrutiny in a committee meeting as lawmakers were scheduled to review the company’s budget plan this year.
Although the postal firm’s authorized personnel quota is 27,496 people, only 25,104 positions were filled as of last year, company data showed.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, 1,310 workers left the firm last year, while only 1,040 were recruited.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said the company’s business performance has been steadily improving, but its employees are strained due to a lack of automated operations.
Chunghwa Post also has trouble recruiting and retaining employees, Lin said.
About 70 percent of Chunghwa Post employees who left their jobs did so voluntarily, while 30 percent retired, Lin said, citing company data.
The postal company has managed to generate NT$10.15 billion (US$321.1 million) in net profit over the latest tax year after reporting a NT$1.6 billion net loss after tax in 2023, DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said.
“However, the staffing shortage has made it difficult for employees to take leave freely, transfer unused annual leave to the next period, or receive leave-related subsidies,” Lee said.
Workers in the company’s mail processing centers also complained that they were not allowed to access air-conditioning systems due to electricity saving measures, he said.
The company estimates that about 1,000 employees would retire annually through 2029, Chinese Nationalist Party Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) said, adding that the staffing shortage would further deteriorate if recruitment and retention difficulties persist.
The company should improve its work environment to keep its employees, she said.
The focus of the mail processing businesses shifted from mail to packages and express delivery services, Chunghwa Post chairman Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said, adding that the postal company recorded an about 20 percent increase in the package delivery business and a 27 percent increase in the express delivery business.
“We are still hiring, but the vacancies would not be completely filled in the short term. The human resources department is working on solutions for people requesting paid leave and leave-related subsidies, which would be proposed within one month,” he said.
The company is recruiting part-time employees to address staffing shortages, Wang said, adding that a group of new employees are scheduled to arrive in September.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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