《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taiwan railway union cancels strike plans

ADDED INCENTIVES: Railway workers would be eligible for welfare fund payments, the union said, adding that it would continue to use strikes as a measure in labor disputes

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

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The Taiwan Railway Labor Union yesterday called off plans to go on strike during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ten National Day and on Nov. 26, when local elections are held, after the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications agreed to increase the benefits for Taiwan Railways Administration （TRA） employees.

After the ministry earlier this month announced that it would raise low-wage TRA workers’ salaries to at least NT$30,000 （US$991） per month, the railway agency announced that it would from Jan. 1 next year provide subsidies to workers tasked with ensuring operational safety, the union said.

Employees are to receive welfare fund payments in the event of pregnancy and marriage, as well as for funeral arrangements and children’s education, after the agency is turned into a state-run corporation on Jan.1, 2024, the union said, adding that the funding would be supplied by the ministry.

“After the TRA becomes Taiwan Railways Corp, employees will get a raise whenever the Executive Yuan raises the salaries for civil servants, military personnel, and public-school teachers and staff,” the union said.

The ministry said it would respect the union’s input in subsequent negotiations over 16 enforcement rules related to the Act for Establishment of State-owned Taiwan Railways Corp （國營臺灣鐵路股份有限公司設置條例）, which the legislature passed in May.

“We will continue to fight for employees’ benefits and ensure that the TRA can operate sustainably after it becomes a state-run corporation,” the union said, adding that it would continue to use strikes as a measure in labor disputes with the railway operator.

“We hope that the Executive Yuan and the ministry will keep their promises, so we do not have to go on strike,” the union said.

The TRA said in a statement that it hoped to retain skilled workers by offering higher salaries and better benefits once the corporatization is completed.

Safety of train services would consequently be enhanced, it said.

The ministry has agreed to allocate a one-time budget of NT$1.2 billion for the railway operator’s employee welfare fund during the initial stage of operation as a state-run corporation, it said.

The corporation’s employee welfare committee would take over once it has generated sufficient revenue to fund itself, it said.

In addition to subsidies, welfare funding and bonuses, employee benefits would include life insurance plans for workers’ spouses and children, and housing, the agency said.

Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌） and Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai （王國材） have announced that TRA employees would keep their jobs, salaries and benefits after the railway corporation is established, the agency said, adding that the workers would be free to choose whether they want to retain their status as a civil servant or be listed as a corporate employee.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES