One day prior to International Labor Day, a protest was staged outside the Kaohsiung City Council by the Kaohsiung Independent Trade Union and 10 other Kaohsiung-based trade unions, demanding the relocation of the Ministry of Labor to southern Taiwan and the establishment of a committee to adjudicate cases of improper labor conduct in Kaohsiung such that laborers in southern Taiwan won't have to travel north to protect their own rights.


Around 50 members of the Kaohsiung Independent Trade Union and 10 other Kaohsiung-based trade unions gathered outside the Kaohsiung City Council to deliver a petition on Apr. 30, one day ahead of International Labor Day. They demanded that the Ministry of Labor be relocated to southern Taiwan, and also called for the ministry to establish a committee in Kaohsiung to adjudicate cases of improper labor conduct.

The president, vice president, the heads of the five yuans, the vice premier, and the labor minister are all from southern Taiwan. However, under the current system, when laborers or unions are oppressed, they have to travel to Taipei for adjudication. That's the reason for our first demand today.

The Kaohsiung Independent Trade Union explained that when laborers in southern Taiwan get into disputes with management, they have to travel to Taipei for adjudication, which is extremely unreasonable. Although the Ministry of Labor subsidizes the travel fee, it believes a better solution would be to establish a committee in Kaohsiung to adjudicate labor disputes and ensure laborers in both northern and southern Taiwan enjoy the proper rights and benefits.

I will do my best to accomplish the task that the (Kaohsiung Independent Trade Union) chairperson entrusted me with.

It's like establishing a mediation committee at a district office, it's as simple as that. Why doesn't the Ministry of Labor listen to the voices of the people?

The union handed over its petition to the city council, and expressed its hope that the council would convey the wishes of the people to the central government through a draft resolution. Both Kuomintang and Democratic Progressive Party city councilors promised to draft a resolution to discuss this issue as quickly as possible. The Executive Yuan's Southern Taiwan Joint Services Center says it has already asked the Ministry of Labor to formulate a response.



將近50人，來到高雄市議會，他們都是高雄市各大工會的會員，也是勞工，隨著勞動節將到，他們由高雄市獨立總工會帶領，遞交陳情書給議會，提出要勞動部南遷、以及勞動部在高雄設置"不當勞動行為裁決委員會"。

高雄市獨立總工會理事長 張緒中表示：「像總統、副總統，包括五院院長，包括行政院副院長，包括勞動部長都是南部人，可是今天我們來的第一個訴求就是，竟然我們會實施一個制度，勞工或工會被打壓的時候，裁決要直接到台北。」

獨立總工會強調，讓南部地區的勞工，過去碰上勞資爭議，都得在台北調解，相當不合理，即使勞動部有補助車資，訴求就地置設委員會，讓南北勞工都享有應有的權益。

高雄市議會民進黨團總召 韓賜村表示：「我一定會盡力把剛剛，（高市獨立總工會)理事長，交代的事情來把它完成。」

高雄市議會議長 許崑源表示：「這就講快一點，就剛好像我們的區公所，設置一個調解委員會，就是這麼的簡單，為什麼勞動部都聽不到百姓的聲音。」

獨立總工會將陳情書遞交給市議會，希望議會也能透過提案向中央表達地方的心聲，市議會國、民兩黨都承諾，將儘快提案討論，而行政院南部中心也回應，對於民眾的訴求，已委請勞動部研議處理。