torrent's blog

Decadence of an ideal

Since the nationwide lift of Martial Laws in 1987, the voices for reform that came from "outside the party" had surged in coalition for the establishment of the "Democratic Progressive Party." For quite some time, the DPP was not only a party demanding political democracy, it had also allied itself with numerous social movements, from whose support the party gradually thrived.

On September 21, marking the second anniversary of the murder of Diosado "Ka Fort" Fortuna, renowned Philippine labor leader and union president of striking Nestle workers, and the 35th anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines, Taiwanese groups called for a boycott of all Nestle products. More than twenty protestors including unionists, students, academics, and common citizens picketed the headquarters of Nestle Taiwan, leafleted the lunchtime crowd and covered Nestle advertisement with protest stickers. The protest was organized by Taiwan Committee for Philippines Concerns and Consumer Action, Taiwan, and participated by Labor Rights Association and other groups.

[The goodbye]

Never has a local festival survived for so long; and neither have the Yilan people so determined to retain the brainchild brought up with their own hands.

The Yilan International Children's Folklore & Folkgame Festival(YICFFF), after reaching 12—before it got mature enough to prosper--was officially terminated by the Yilan County Government, due to years of substantial losses in visitors and revenue.

Author: Liu Kwang-Yin

In the beginning of the 20th century, a colonial era when Taiwan was still part of Japan, Losheng Leprosy Sanatorium was built by the regime to house leprosy patients, whose mystic disease was considered by most people to be highly contagious.

A labor dispute broke out and soon resolved last month at Nicaragua’s largest employer in the private sector, the Taiwanese investment Nien Hsing Textile.

The factory Nien Hsing Garments S.A., located in Managua’s Las Mercedes Free Trade Zone, is one of eleven Nien Hsing factories in Nicaragua. The factory has been in operation for twelve years. There are approximately 2,500 workers in the factory. Currently the factory produces only pants—jeans, slacks and shorts—for Blue Riders, Wrangler Jeans, Osh Kosh B’Gosh, Faded Glory and Sonoma Carpenter.

Proof by Owlam and JC Chen

In Taiwan, efforts to improve the labor standards of foreign homecare workers and maids have been met with consistent controversy and resistance by advocates for disabled people. The interests of these two groups have been falsely cast as irreconcilable. There are 150,000 foreign maids in Taiwan. Many of them provide long-term care for disabled persons. However, these workers are not protected by any labor law.

Government regulation and protection is complicated by the fact that the conditions live-in maids face are largely invisible to the public. Behind the closed doors of the household, maids and care workers face many hardships such as extremely long hours, poor living conditions, and abuse by employers. Workers are also often forced to work extra jobs outside of their official contracts with no additional pay. It results in some household violence cases, such as maids committing suicide or assaulting the employers

On Father's Day, trade union members of International Bank of Taipei(IBT)were demonstrating outside the IBT head office, the usual holiday atmosphere disappeared.

IBT betrayed its earlier promise and merged the company with SinoPac Holding.It would probably result in the layoff of workers.

A Hundred of IBT Union members requested the Financial Supervisory Commission(FSC), i.e.the national finance managment authority, to receive the trade union's petition.