A short report for the 2012 Capital Mobility Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Sep. 26- 28, 2012.

1. Recent Strikes in
Taiwan
2012 Capital Mobility Researcher’s
Meeting
Bangkok, Thailand
Sep. 26- 28, 2012
Lennon Ying-Dah Wong
International Coordinator,
Serve the People Association (SPA),
Taoyuan, Taiwan

2. Strikes in Taiwan-1
 Strikes had been vivid and militant in the
late 80’s and early 90’s when the
independent labor movement started
(“illegal” wildcat strikes mostly).
 Very hard to fulfill the legal requirements
before 2011 (more than ½ vote for the
strike in a general meeting with more
than ½ of the members personally
attend).

3. Strikes in Taiwan-2
 Rarely happened for many years.
 Some unions use the vote for strike as a
weapon to threaten the employer, but seldom
really go on strike.
 In the public sector, TRWU (railway) and CTWU
(telecom) had passed the vote for strike, but
TRWU never go on strike, while CTWU only
organized very few members for the mobilization
in the strike and failed to stop the privatization of
Chunghwa Telecom.
 Several former state-owned banks unions
passed the vote for strike, but only one did went
on strike for 4 days and thus stopped the merger
of the bank by a private bank successfully.

4. New legal requirements for strike
 Enforced from May 1, 2011 in the new version of
the law.
 More than ½ of the members vote for strike but
not necessarily for a meeting. So it is slightly
easier to full the legal requirement for strike.
 “A labor union shall not call a strike and set
up a picketline unless the strike has been
approved by a majority of the members of the
labor union via direct, secret balloting.”
 (Article 54, the Settlement of Labor Disputes
Law)

5. Hualong and Rongdian
workers: victims of
financialization

6. Hua-Long Toufen Plant Union’s
Strike

7. Brief introduction of Hualong-1
 Established in 1967 by Wong Ming-Chang was a
leading company in the textile industry and one the
10th private corporation in Taiwan.
 After Wong mergered 5 artificial fiber corporations and
died in 1975, most of the corporation was taken over
by Wang You-Zen who later another tycoon with his
own kingdom.
 Wong Da-Ming, Wong Yi-Ming and Wong You-Ming,
sons of the old Wong, accumulated capital rapidly from
the stock market and took the control of Hualong in the
80’s.
 Hualong later became a group of corporation which
has companies in textile, agriculture, electronic,
insurance and finance.

8. Brief introduction of Hualong-2
 From 1990, the Wong brothers began to manipulate the
stock prices with illegal transaction in several of their own
companies.
 Several case exploded and were investigated: Hualong in
1990, Housheng in 1992, Hongfu in 1994.
 Wong You-Ming, the director of Hualong fled to Malaysia
and got a noble title (nadu) there. He’s been in exile in
Malaysia and Vietnam since then.
 Wong Da-Ming, who has been elected as a legislator,
were jailed for a few years for the violation of stock laws.
Now he is “bankrupted”, but still lives a luxurious life.
 The stock of Hualong was eventually unlisted from the
Taiwan stock market in 2003.
 From 1997 to 2008, Hualong closed the plants in Yingge,
Taoyuan, Chungli and Dayuan, moved to abroad. Toufen
became the only remaining plant of Hualong in Taiwan.

9. Bitter history of workers in
Hualong Toufen plant
 From 1997, salaries was “freezed” and never raised
since then.
 1999, the yearly bonus was cancelled.
 2001, wage decrease, the union striked. A woman
worker Chiu drank pesticide and suicided to protest.
 2002, 20% wage decrease.
 2003, 30% wage decrease.
 2008, a new “production effectiveness” system was put
into force, only worker who has 130% production can
get 100% salary. 50% workers can’t even get the basic
salary (NT$18780, around $626 per month).

10. Why the Hualong workers strike?
In 2011, Hualong sold the machines and lands to Fang-An which was only a paper company set up by the network of Hualong just a few years ago.
 Fang-An was established to get loans from the bank, for Hualong was already notorious and thus hard to loan any money from the bank.
 Hualong demanded the workers to transfer to Fang-An and give up all the years of service in Hualong.
 If the workers insisted to maintain in Hualong, the salaries would be decreased for 30%.
 The over 300 workers couldn’t stand anymore and decided to start the strike on June 6, 2012.


11. Tip: Labor pension system in
Taiwan (old system)
 If a worker with the year of service before July 1, 2005
can choose the new system until June 30, 2010.
 Any worker who retire or got laid off before fulfilling
the required year of service won’t have any
retirement payment in the old system at all.
 Article 53, Labor Standard Law:
 A worker may apply for voluntary retirement under either
of the following conditions:
1.Where the worker attains the age of 55 and has
worked for 15 years.
2.Where the worker has worked for more than 25 years.
3.Where the worker attains the age of 60 and has
worked for 10 years.

12. What many employers do?
 Most of the corporations in Taiwan are of mid or
small size with the average life of less than 13
years.
 Most workers in the private sectors can’t get the
retirement payment (old system).
 The employers often lay off workers who are
near the required year of service or transfer
them to another company to save the personnel
expenses, just like what Hualong tried to do.

13. How hard is the life for the
Hualong Workers?
 Most of them are to mid-to-high age.
 Their salaries had been decreased
systematically for several times, and 50%
of them couldn’t even get the basic salary
(around $628 per month).
 Many of them have to carry the materials
as heavy as 7000 to 8000 kilograms per
day.

14. What the union demanded?
 Hualong pay the full retirement
payment (to those already fulfill the
required year of service to retire) or
severance pay ( to those without
fulfilling it).
 Total amount of the money:
NT$260,000,000 (around
US$86,670,000).

15. Why the workers couldn’t get the
money?
 According to the law, the priority of the
debt to the workers is after that for the
banks.
 Thus, after the company pay the other
debtor (if there is money to pay), nothing
would be left for the workers.

16. A brief diagram of the decrease of working
condition in Hualong

17. The Union’s strategy
 Hualong has already shifted the center of
production to the plants in Vietnam.
 A remaining machine “Orchid 3” in the
plant was valuable and could be shipped
to the plants in Vietnam.
 The union had to protect the machine
inside the plant intact to pressure the
employer to pay.
 Continue to guard the plant and mobilize
for protest.

18. “100 kilometers from Toufen to Taipei is near to walk, 100
meters to the workers is far for the president”, Aug. 17

19. On Aug. 22, Hualong Union voted and denied the “50%
proposal” given by the employer (193:148)

20. Three movie directors supported Hualong Union’s strike
and attended the solidarity concert for the union on Aug. 26

21. From Aug. 26 to 27, Hualon Union and supporters blocked
the gate to stop the moving out of machines

22. Serious confrontation to block the plant
 On Sep. 6, Chen Ming-Chao, vice chair of the Miaoli
County Council and good friend of Wong brothers, the
namely owner of the machine announced he would
demand the police to guard and move out the machines.
 The union mobilized to block the gate and protect the
picketline.
 Police tried to guard the trucks to move out the
machines, and the union tried their bet to block. Severe
clash happened during the confrontation, several worker
were injured. A worker even crawl under the truck and
risk his life to block.
 Finally the police retreated and the moving plan was
failed.

23. Sep. 6, Hualong Union and supporters lied on the
ground to block the gate and protect the picketline

24. Sep. 6, police claimed the union’s blocking “illegal” and
evacuate them, regardless the CLA’s former statement that
striking unions have the rights to protect the picketline

25. Sep. 6, a worker crawl under a truck and
risk his life to stop it

26. Results of the strike
 On Aug. 8, Miaoli County Mayor asked the union
officers to accept the mediation:
 1. Hualong would pay 60% of the retirement
payment and 80% of the severance pay.
 2. The money would be divided into 3 parts
and paid in 3 months; the first payment
would be transferred to workers’ account by
Sep. 13, and then the union will stop the
strike.
 3. The remaining two payments would be
paid by Fang-An in check.

27. Sep. 9, Union signed the agreement with Miaoli
County Mayor’s mediation

28. Sep. 13, A Hualong worker show her bankbook with the
record of the first payment from the employer

29. Rongdian Union’s Strike

30. Brief Introduction of Rongdian-1
 Rongdian (or the RPTI International Ltd.) was
established by the Veterans’ Affairs Commission,
Executive Yuan.
 Other than VAC, several state enterprises are
Rongdian’s main shareholders.
 VAC is the biggest shareholder with 38% of the stock
share, it has full control of Rongdian and always assign
retired generals to be the chair.
 The Ministry of National Defense changed the proposal
after Rongdian got the bid, which delayed the
construction and caused serious financial crisis for the
company.
 Rongdian was suddenly turned into deficit in 2011 and
couldn’t pay the salaries since Feb. 2012. Now the deficit
of Rongdian is NT$4,100,000,000 (around
US$136,700,000).

31. Brief Introduction of Rongdian-2
 The total amount of back wages,
retirement payment and severances pay:
NT$300,000,000 (around
US$10,000,000)
 Rongdian couldn’t loan from the banks and is on
the edge of bankruptcy.
 Workers couldn’t get their back wages,
retirement or severance pay, they only got a
“certification of the debt” from the company.
 After the negotiation meeting broke, the workers
passed the vote for strike and began the strike
on July 11, 2012.

32. “Doggie officers raise the position,
workers carry the coffin (to protest)”

33. Rongdian workers marched towards the
Executive Yuan

35. What we learn and what’s
new in these strikes
(especially Hualong)?

36. More struggle, more money
 In the beginning of the strike, Hualong insisted that they
can’t pay the workers.
 7/2, Hualong promise to pay NT$25,000,000, which was
only 10% of the total money.
 July 12, Hualong added another NT$40,000,000, totally
25%.
 July 21, Hualong promised to added to 35%.
 Aug. 3, Miaoli County Mayor asked the union to vote for
40%, but the union denied.
 Aug. 21, employer promised to pay 50% and asked the
union to vote (Aug. 22, the ballot turned out to deny).
 After the mobilization to stop the moving out of machine,
the employers promised to pay 60% of the retirement
payment and 80% of the severance pay.

37. Radicalized and militant protests
 Labor rallies and protests in Taiwan are usually peaceful.
 Confrontations are usually planned and even partly
“staged” with some understanding from the police to
attract the media coverage.
 But both Rongdian and Hualong Unions showed their
desperation and confronted with the police militantly
continually. Many workers and students were injured
during the confrontation and some were arrested.
 Rongdian workers tied up themselves together on their
necks with rope on a foot bridge to protest, and Hualong
workers learned from them later.
 This is educational and might lead to radicalization in the
future struggles.
 If this happens, more workers and unions could be
radicalized.

38. Rongdian workers tied themselves up together on their necks
with a rope on a foot bridge near the Executive Yuan to protest
and confront with the police.

39. Hualong Union learned from Rongdian Union in
the protection of the pickeline

40. A Hualong woman worker Chen Yue-Jiao stood in front of a huge vehicle to
stop the moving of the machine. It was compared with the “tankman” in
Tiananmen Square in 1989 and was widely forwarded on the internet.

41. Massive and continued involvement from
the young students
 In the past, more students have long-term support and
involvements in the social movements for the
environment, preservation of a shelter for the Hansen’s
disease (leprosy) (Losheng Leprosarium), anti-forced
eviction (both in the rural and urban areas), very few in
the labor movement.
 But this time, students from all over Taiwan supported
and struggled with Hualong Union and the Labor Party
who help the union for months.
 Students witness the inequality, exploitation and state
oppression with their own eyes and bodies, it is a
extraordinary lesson for the young activist, and will surely
be a life-long memory for them.

42. Sep. 22, Students spoke tried to persuade the
worker not to vote on the “50% plan”

43. After the midnight of Sep. 26, Students lied on the ground in front
of a truck to stop the moving of machine from the plant

44. Sep. 7, supporting students hosted a
press conference

45. Stronger general sympathy from the
society
 The problems of unemployment, poverty, inequality, low
wage, bad working condition (especially for all kinds of
precarious workers) caused by the neoliberal policies
favored by the government are more aware to the public.
 Some writers, scholars, singers and movie directors
spoke for the strike and attended in the protests to
support.
 The government fail to solve the problems and help the
workers to get the money stipulated by the law.
 Huge coverage on the media especially in several
mobilization, confrontation and concerts.
 All these led to a stronger general sympathy in the public
in favor of the striking unions.

46. Massive use of the internet and
social media
 Students and supporters of Hualong Union
made a fan page for the public and a internal
private club on FaceBook.
 Hualong Union and the supporting students
made announcements, mobilized, updated
news and photos and debated regularly on FB.
 The FB pages and independent media including
Coolloud became a news center of the Hualong
strike which broke the blockade of the
mainstream media more or less.

47. Not a big victory, but the workers won
something at least
 For Hualong Union, the result is not really a
victory, they failed to get the money stipulated by
the law, not to mention the two remaining
payments is not paid yet.
 Yet the result is valuable and reflects the power
of the workers is not strong enough yet.
 Comparing to many non-union close-ups where
workers couldn’t get anything, Hualong workers
already got a lot, and that’s the result of the
strike of the union.
 For Rongdian Union, the stike continues.

48. Much more works to do…
 And I hope the experiences in Taiwan
could be helpful for all of our comrades
and friends from all Asian countries.