Eight members of the TMTC labor union launch hunger strike

By Deborah Kuo, CNA, 4 June 2001

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Eight members of the labor union of Taiwan Motor Transport Co. (TMTC) began a three-day hunger strike Monday in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications building in order to highlight their cause of justice.

Tsai Wan-hsiung, chairman of the TMTC labor union, and nearly one hundred union members renewed their protests Monday against the Transportation and Communications Ministry’s policies on TMTC’s privatization, with eight of the union members deciding to begin a hunger strike to further stress their cause.

Tsai said that the labor union is not at all against the company’s privatization but that it is opposed to the nature of the policy which is resulting in many TMTC staff workers losing their jobs. The TMTC staff workers’ rights of employment and survival should be firmly protected in the privatization process, Tsai stressed.

Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said TMTC’s privatization will by no means be altered by any form of opposition.

Kuokuang Motor Transport Co. has already been established, mainly with former management and workers of TMTC, and the new company is scheduled to become operational July 1, the officials said.

They added that it is a pity some of those at TMTC do not appreciate the efforts of the ministry and the goodwill of its privatization policy.