The Taiwan Railway Labor Union is planning a strike for the upcoming Labor Day long weekend. Union members are protesting government plans to corporatize the Taiwan Railways Administration. Talks between the government and the union have so far proven unsuccessful.
The Taiwan Railways Labor Union has planned a strike for the upcoming Labor Day long weekend. Taiwan’s Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai says that transportation officials and union workers cannot reach a compromise.
This development comes one day after Wang said he was still in talks with labor union officials. Union workers are refusing to work overtime over the busy long weekend. They will instead take the time off which they are legally entitled to do. The union is protesting the government’s plan to corporatize the Taiwan Railways Administration.
The transportation ministry announced a contingency plan on Wednesday. High speed rail and replacement bus service will compensate for the lack of train service.
Wang apologized to the people and said he respects laborers’ rights. But some opposition lawmakers suspect the ministry’s tough negotiating stance may be the result of pressure from Premier Su Tseng-chang.
Further complicating matters is the fact that one of Taiwan’s higher education entrance exams will take place this weekend.
Education Minister Pan Wen-chung says that his ministry will cover the costs of buses and even taxis arranged by schools to get students to the test.
It seems the coming weekend will test not only students’ knowledge, but also the government’s ability to deal with disruptions in transportation.
Tomasz Koper, RTI News