Railway workers would still have to take turns working on national holidays after the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) transitions into the state-run Taiwan Railway Corp in 2024 to ensure reliable services, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which was scheduled to review budget plans for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Taoyuan International Airport Corp and the Civil Aviation Operation Fund for the next fiscal year.
New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) asked about the progress the ministry has made in negotiating with the Taiwan Railway Labor Union and Taiwan Railway Union over 16 supporting draft rules for the State-run Taiwan Railways Corporation Act (國營台灣鐵路股份有限公司設置條例), which the legislature passed in May.
Photo: CNA
The Taiwan Railway Labor on Friday accused the ministry of betraying its trust by announcing the supporting rules without reaching a consensus with the union first.
It also accused the ministry of contravening the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) by stipulating in the supporting rules that workers must continue to work on different shifts during national holidays.
The regulations could limit TRA workers’ rights to arrange their workdays and holidays, and reduce their overtime pay on national holidays, Chen said.
Wang said the draft rules are still in an “advance notice period” as per the Administrative Procedures Act (行政程序法), meaning that the government is telling the public that the draft rules are under review.
“We shortened the advance notice period to three days, because all key members of the unions have reviewed the draft rules. We also want to finalize all supporting rules by the end of this year, without which we cannot make a budget plan for the next fiscal year,” he said, adding that the rules mainly concern TRA employees, not the general public.
“We have agreed not to formally announce the supporting rules without reaching a consensus over unresolved issues first,” he said. “We are willing to make an adjustment for the advance notice period if the unions think the period is too short.”
TRA workers already knew that they would be required to work on different shifts and take turns working on national holidays, Wang said.
“I absolutely respect the unions if they follow legal procedures to go on a strike. However, refusing to work on holidays will make the public transportation system unstable, and we need to set some boundaries here. Otherwise, the TRA will never maintain stable operations,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Taiwan Railway Labor Union asked its members to take International Workers’ Day off in protest against the ministry’s plan to corporatize the TRA.
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