After Chunghwa Express Union members voted to strike, the union said it could go on strike at any time. Employees are irate that after receiving a raise last summer, their year-end bonuses were docked by NT$30,000 to 50,000.
Chunghwa Express Union members protest outside the Executive Yuan. After a protest last year, employees got a raise only to find their year-end performance bonuses slashed by NT$30,000-50,000. As a result, 83 percent of union members voted to strike.
Chen Hung-chun, Chunghwa Express Union Chair: “We will call for a strike at any time, because the vote to strike passed. The strike could happen at any time. We hope the company will respond soon.”
Lin Chien-hung, Chunghwa Express Union Representative: “I've (worked) here for 18 years. Our salaries are very low. Last July, we were able to get a NT$5,000 raise. We were happy about this until they slashed our performance bonuses by NT$30,000 to NT$50,000.”
Over 1,400 of Taiwan's 3,000-plus bank branches rely on Chunghwa Express, which means day-to-day bank operations will be severely impacted if workers go on strike. The company says it distributed a performance bonus and year-end bonus both equal to one month's wage on Jan. 10. The company's board of directors will meet on Jan. 31 to discuss the union's demands and possibly approve a further bonus equal to two weeks' wages.
Welson Hsueh, Chunghwa Express Chair: “After we finish our financial reports, we will distribute performance bonuses. We will hold a board meeting on Jan. 31 to discuss the union's demands.”
The union says it has already compromised on many issues and it wants the performance bonuses owed to employees to be distributed before the holiday. It says it hopes the company will stop dragging its feet and allow workers to have a happy new year. Chunghwa Express Chair Welson Hsueh has not said how the company will respond if workers strike.
寒風中到行政院大門口抗議，中華快遞企業工會去年透過抗議成功加薪，未料年前要發放的績效獎金，平均卻比去年少了3到5萬，工會因此發動罷工投票，同意率8成3，揚言可能隨時發動罷工。
中華快遞企業工會理事長陳宏春說：「我們隨時會發起罷工，因為我們罷工投票已經通過了，我們隨時，我希望公司趕快做出一些回應。」
中華快遞工會會員代表林建宏提及：「在這（就職）18年來我們大家的薪資都很低。去年的7月，我們爭取到5000塊的加薪，今年我們的績效獎金卻被扣到3到5萬。」
全台3000多家銀行分行，有1400多家仰賴中華快遞，占了將近半數。如果突襲式罷工，除了銀行受到衝擊，不少公司行號資金也可能連帶受影響。中華快遞公司表示，1月10日已發了1個月績效獎金、1個月年終獎金，本月31日將召開董事會討論員工的訴求，可能會再補發0.5個月以上績效獎金。
中華快遞公司董事長薛門騫表示：「我們在公司財報完了以後，會再補發績效獎金的差額，對於工會的訴求，我們在1月31日會召開董事會來討論。」
工會強調許多方面已經讓步，但要求過年之前，先發放原本就該屬於員工的績效獎金，呼籲公司不要再拖延，讓員工過個好年。至於如果真的罷工，公司將怎麼因應，董事長薛門騫則沒有多做回應。
