TRA ADJUSTS TRAIN SCHEDULE IN RESPONSE TO NEW LABOR LAW|勞動新制8月起上路 台鐵進行班次調整

As we have just told you, the new labor regulations will take effect on August 1. The Taiwan Railways Administration will thus adjust its train schedule due to a shortage of conductors. The TRA will not adjust its train schedule in August since tickets for August have already been sold. Instead, the number of freight trains will be reduced. Major changes in the train schedule are expected to take place in October. The TRA will also continue to negotiate with the union on recruitment. TRA staff are often required to overwork overtime due to a shortage of drivers. However, new labor regulations that take effect on August 1 require workers to take at least one day off after six days work. The TRA will not deal with its current shortage of train drivers. Instead, it will cut train services and implement new policies. ==YANG SHAO-PING, Station Chief, TRA== We will comply with the Labor Standards Act and protect our staff' labor rights. We need to make adjustments to the train schedule, but we will take account of commuters when we do so. Adjustments are made every year. TRA said that since tickets have already been sold for August, trains will not be canceled. Instead, more carriages will be added for each trip and freight train frequency will be reduced. However, the TRA labor union is doubtful that this will have a positive effect and believes the real solution is to recruit more staff. ==LIU REN-JIE, Secretary-General, Taiwan Railway Labor Union== Freight trains operate at night. Reducing freight trains may help the night shift maintenance crew, but it is definitely not enough to resolve the shortage of train drivers. However, TRA said the staff shortage is complicated and it will continue to negotiate with the union to reach consensus. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 勞動新制8月1號上路，台鐵也將進行班次調整，由於8月份車票已經開賣，為了不影響旅客權益, 客運列車不會減班，但會減少貨物列車，預估十月才會 全面大改點，至於人力補足的問題，台鐵將會 與工會持續協調。 拖著疲憊的身軀回到辦公室，台鐵司機員因為人力不足導致常常要加班、無法正常休假，如今8月1號就要實施休假新制，勞工每工作6天就必須休假一天，使台鐵不得不正視長期人力缺乏的問題，減班刻不容緩，台鐵也祭出政策因應。 =交通部台灣鐵路局站務主任 楊韶平== 秉持著說 不違反勞基法的原則 同時兼顧多數同仁休假的權益 針對一些利用率比較低的班次 當然還有考慮民眾通勤權益後 我們在每年度的例行改點 都會做一個必要的調整 台鐵表示，由於八月車票已經開賣，為了不影響旅客權益，客運列車將不會減班，但會以單趟增加車廂數量、來達到減少貨運班次及人力的目的，不過鐵路工會對貨運減班的調配是否能夠紓緩人力、仍有很大疑慮，最重要還是要增加員額。 ==台灣鐵路局工會秘書長 劉人杰== 貨物列車都是在夜間去運行 它的減緩可能對我們工務 電務的夜間維修單位有一些幫助 但是對整體司機員 我甚至可以說 像這樣 是絕對不足以去因應 對此，台鐵回應人力短缺的問題有很多，關於人力晉用、就現有員額跟實際員額確實是有出入，這部分會持續和工會協調，讓雙方取得共識。 記者 朱芷儀 彭耀祖 台北報導