Chunghwa Telecom Co (
More than 3,000 of Chunghwa's 26,000 workers' joined the protest, according to the Chunghwa Telecom Workers' Union, the organizer of the rally.
The protesters massed in front of Taipei Railway Station before marching past the Legislative Yuan, Chunghwa Telecom's head office and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, protesting layoffs and calling for the removal of company chairman Hochen Tan (
PHOTO: CNA
Secretary-general of the union Chuan Ping-tang (
Although Chunghwa Telecom signed an agreement not to lay off employees or cut salaries for five years back in January last year, the union accused the company of transferring employees to far away offices in order to get rid of them.
"It is unreasonable to ask someone who lives in Pingtung to commute to Kaohsiung or from Chiayi to Tainan," Chuan said. "It is manifestly an attempt to make life intolerable for workers so that they leave."
"Nonsense," said Hank Wang (王漢朝), company vice-president and Chunghwa telecom spokesman, in response to the union's accusations.
A small number of employees were asked to transfer between cities as a result of regional office closures, he said.
"Those who leave Chunghwa telecom receive substantial packages and do so of their own volition," he added.
One thousand eight hundred Chunghwa telecom employees took buyouts in April last year. Another 1,600 are expected to do so this year.
Chuan said expectations of a job for life were dashed for Chunghwa telecom employees when the company was privatized. As a private company, Chunghwa now faces pressure to maximize profits by cutting personnel costs.
"We all passed government exams in order to enter Chunghwa Telecom," he said. "We thought we were promised jobs until the age of 65."
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