Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday sought to reassure the public that a planned strike by members of the Taiwan Railway Labor Union in Yilan County would not disrupt public transportation during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday next month.
The union also distanced itself from the strike, issuing a statement saying that it did not authorize the stoppage and only a small number of members are taking part.
More than 200 members of the union in Yilan County have said they would not go to work during the holiday to protest a proposal by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) to change from a two-shift system to a three-shift system.
Photo: CNA
While the TRA has said that switch is to ensure that all workers can have two days off each week, the union members said that they oppose the change as it would cause them to lose about NT$11,000 in overtime pay a month.
The planned strike has sparked concern that it would disrupt travel during one of the most important holidays of the year, particularly for those heading to the east coast.
“We have assured union members in Yilan that there would not be any change in the work shift system before next year. While we respect their right to protest, we also urge them to fulfill their responsibility,” Lin told reporters on the sideline of a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
“After all, the TRA belongs to everybody. Both management and workers should work together to ensure the smooth and safe transport of passengers,” he said.
The TRA would address the concerns of union members in its negotiations with union leaders, he added.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications would ensure that the workers’ strike would not disrupt the operation of the public transport system during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday from April 2 to April 5, Lin told the Transportation Committee.
“Disputes between management and workers should be resolved with wisdom and unity, but the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday is not the time to settle them,” the union said in the statement.
A majority of employees in Yilan’s railway stations said that they would work between April 1 and April 5, a survey by the union showed.
In other news, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the tour bus accident on the Suhua Highway on Tuesday, which killed six people and injured 38.
The Taipei Motor Vehicles Office said that the tour bus company, Teng Lung Transport, has four other buses that are of the same model as the one involved in the accident.
The office recalled three of the buses that are still in operation, with two passing the inspections and one being grounded after the accident.
Teng Lung Transport head Chen Tsung-teng (陳聰騰) said that the company had purchased the vehicle two years ago and that it had been regularly maintained.
The driver of the bus, surnamed Yu (游), has worked for the company for a long time and has a clean record, Chen said.
Lawmakers on the Transportation Committee criticized the ministry and the Directorate-General of Highways after finding that Teng Lung Transport has not updated its inspection records online since 2016.
The committee passed a motion asking the highway agency to submit a report within two weeks about the accident, including agency officials who should be held accountable.
Tung Liang-tsao (董良造), a prosecutor at the Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office, told reporters late on Wednesday that investigators would not answer any questions while the probe was under way.
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