Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) on Friday said it is still in talks with the Taiwan Railway Labor Union regarding holiday bonuses for employees, after workers threatened to strike.
The union on Thursday threatened to strike amid TRC plans to issue Mid-Autumn Festival bonuses in the form of vouchers instead of cash.
The company said in a news release that it would explore the possibility of relaxing the voucher policy and continue negotiations with the union to reach a consensus.
Photo: Taipei Times
The TRC normally only issues cash bonuses for those that work during the Lunar New Year, but earlier this year, announced plans to give out similar rewards for other holidays.
The move would be a way to compensate workers for their efforts, it said, while praising them for their diligence.
However, on Tuesday, the company backtracked, announcing that NT$1,500 worth of vouchers would instead be issued to employees who work during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, a policy that would also apply to Tomb Sweeping Day and Dragon Boat Festival.
The issue of “cash bonuses” for other holidays is difficult to implement due to the lack of a legal framework to support such measures, the company said without elaborating on why it made the original offer.
The union criticized the change from cash to vouchers, saying that the TRC initially promised during a labor-management meeting this year that there would be a NT$1,500 cash bonus per day for people who work during the holidays.
The company’s decision to switch to vouchers showed its complete disregard for employees, it said.
Meanwhile, Transportation and Communications Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) on Friday said that he supports the TRC’s decision to give workers a bonus for working during holidays.
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