The Taiwan Railway Labor Union should think twice before going on strike on International Workers’ Day on May 1, as the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) would lose public support if a strike restricts travel, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kuo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
The union on Wednesday voted to strike on May 1 if the government continues to pursue a plan to turn the agency into a state-run corporation, disregarding the union’s requests.
Half of all TRA workers might participate in the strike, the union said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
“We hope the union will reconsider [its plan], as the agency has gained support from commuters and railway travelers over the years. Our plan to corporatize the TRA is a necessary step in its development,” Wang told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting at the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
All parties involved should discuss the topic rationally, Wang added.
Wang told the meeting that the government first proposed the plan to corporatize the TRA in 2003.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the union agreed that any draft statute for the establishment of a railway corporation should be discussed with the union before legislative review, but nothing has materialized since then, he said.
Instead of proposing the most recent draft to the union, he last month discussed it directly with railway workers across Taiwan, Wang said.
The union said it opposes the ministry’s plan to use TRA properties to pay off the agency’s debt, urging the government to cover the debt.
Wang said the ministry should balance the government’s interests and those of the TRA.
An amendment to the Railway Act (鐵路法), which secured preliminary approval at the Transportation Committee meeting, would allow the agency to generate revenue mainly from property development, freeing it from restrictions set by the National Property Act (國有財產法) and the Urban Planning Act (都市計畫法), Wang said.
The amendment would also introduce a more reasonable pricing scheme for tourist rail services, Wang said.
It is time for the TRA to respond to the public’s expectation of comprehensive reform after two fatal railway crashes in the past two years, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) said the KMT caucus supports the ministry’s plan, as the TRA has accumulated debt of more than NT$140 billion (US$4.89 billion).
“Corporatizing the agency is only the first step forward. It must have a sustainable financial plan to upgrade infrastructure, enhance the safety of railway operations and ensure that workers’ rights are protected,” he said.
Union secretary Wu Chang-chih (吳長智) said that the TRA’s services are “out of control” because it has to please many groups that have different demands.
“The ministry should not think that it is subsidizing the TRA for its financial losses. It is simply paying back what it owes us,” Wu said, adding that the the agency did not raise ticket prices despite covering the cost of electrifying tracks.
“Is it fair to let the agency carry all the debt by itself?” he asked.
Lee Ker-tsung (李克聰), a transportation management and technology expert at the Consumers’ Foundation, said that draft legislation separately proposed by the government and the union failed to address the TRA’s core issues, such as low employee morale, antiquated facilities and inconsistent safety protocols.
“The TRA needs to find its niche and adjust the scale of its operations. [It is] facing the competition from the high-speed rail, highway buses and mass rapid transit systems,” Lee said, urging the TRA to address safety issues through big data analysis and by asking its workers to help set up standard operating procedures.
Separately yesterday, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said the public anticipates TRA reform.
Taiwanese have paid “a great price” over the years, Lo said, referring to the two fatal crashes.
“The train for reform has left the station, and there is no turning back,” he said.
The ministry would continue to communicate with the union, Lo added.
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