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7 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 92/2000
Taiwan's trade unions today stepped up their fight to reduce legal working hours.
During talks at the parliament in Taipei this morning, union leaders told the Deputy Prime Minister, senators and the press that a cut in the standard working week from 48 hours to 42 must go ahead as planned on 1 January next year.
A law to that effect was passed by the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament, on 16 June. This followed a strong trade union campaign. But employers have been lobbying hard against the measure, and the government now reportedly intends to raise the limit back up to 44 hours.
The unions have called a national day of protest, including industrial action, on 15 December.
And at today's meeting, they gained full worldwide support from the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).
"In a globalised economy, international standards to improve working conditions are vital," insisted ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, who took part in the Taipei talks. "The reduction of working hours has high priority on the international labour agenda," Higgs pointed out. "Here, it is obvious that this important issue has fallen victim to political games. The government should immediately guarantee that the 42-hour week will be implemented from 1 January 2001."
"Prior to any changes in labour legislation, trade unions should always be consulted as a social partner," Higgs added.
The Chinese Federation of Labour (CFL) is Taiwan's trade union centre, with 3,600 affiliated unions. The Confederation of Industrial Trade Unions (CITU) groups 18 major Taiwanese industrial unions. Dual affiliations to the two bodies are held by the petroleum workers' TPWU and the power workers' TPLU, both of which are affiliated to the ICEM at the global level.
All eighteen CITU unions plan to hold industrial action as part of the protests on 15 December, as do a number of other CFL affiliates.
Taking part in today's talks were CFL President Lin Huei-Kwung; CITU and TPWU President Huang Ching-Hsien; Senator Cheng Long-Shui (New Party); Deputy Prime Minister and Senator Lau Ching-Chi (Vice-President of the KMT, formerly the ruling party); Senator Shim Ji-Hye (New Party); and Senator Chien Hsi-Chieh from the Democratic Progressive Party, which is currently in government.