Sunday, May 01, 2011

Protesters demand instant reform of labor conditions in Taiwan

Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Thousands of labor rights activists marched through the streets of downtown Taipei on International Workers' Day Sunday, criticizing the country's labor policies and calling for immediate improvement of working conditions.

Local unions and non-government organizations (NGOs) representing labor and the underprivileged staged separate protests in front of the Executive Yuan in the morning, expressing their anger over what they said were worsening working conditions in Taiwan.

Another demonstration was staged by local unions in the afternoon, with the protestors making similar appeals.

The demonstrators said the past and current administrations had chosen to side with employers and to alienate the working class. The administrations failed to solve the issues of unemployment, stagnant wages, overtime work, income inequality, tax injustice and poor protection of labor rights, the protesters said.

The "peace dividend" created by President Ma Ying-jeou's detente with China since he took office in 2008 has benefited only employers, said Wu Rong-yuan, chairman of the Taiwan Labor Party, in the first protest.

The working class has been suffering as a result of increasing income inequality over the past two years, Wu said.

Under the watchful eyes of around 100 police deployed to guard the gate of the Executive Yuan, a protester surnamed Ho said in the protest that young people have to endure a working environment of long working hours, low wages and temporary employment opportunities.

The minimum monthly wage in Taiwan has risen by only NT$600 (US$21) since 2007, he noted.

"It is impossible to take care of your parents when you have to live hand to mouth, " Ho said.

The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which was in power from 2000-2008, have to share the blame, said Ke Yi-min, founder of the local NGO Raging Citizen Act Now (RCAN).

"The DPP started the temporary employment policy and the KMT has followed suit, " he said. "Both parties have increased labor exploitation in Taiwan."

Along with RCAN, several NGOs and unions said they have suffered enough betrayal at the hands of politicians and they are considering nominating candidates of their own choice for the January 2012 legislative elections.

"Now is the time to take political rights into our own hands, " " Ke said.

During the afternoon, union members from various cities across the country continued to blast both major political parties.

In front of the DPP headquarters in Taipei, protesters threw plastic bags of dung at a huge banner that read "Incompetent DPP."

Hours later, they did the same thing in front of the KMT headquarters.

Labor Day protests have become an annual event in Taiwan, but Sunday was the second consecutive day that thousands of protesters hit the streets of Taipei City.

On Saturday, over 16,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest against nuclear energy, urging the government to scrap its plans for the construction of the country's fourth nuclear power plant, amid fears sparked by the recent nuclear disaster in Japan. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc