‘GUAVA CHECKS’:Protesters including nurses and police officers complained of being made to work excessive hours and said that legislation meant to help them was toothless
Taipei Times
Date: May 02, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
Tens of thousands of labor union members and workers from various industries
Campaigners throw papier-mache guavas at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday, demanding an end to overwork, long working hours, stagnant salaries and the employment of temporary workers. “Guava check” is Taiwanese slang for a bounced check, and, by extension, an unfulfilled promise. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
yesterday braved intermittent rain and took to the streets in Taipei on International Workers’ Day, demanding an immediate end to overwork, long working hours, stagnant salaries and the employment of temporary workers.
Holding flags and signs outlining their demands, more than 10,000 nurses, police officers, firefighters, migrant workers, flight attendants, pilots, teachers and finance workers gathered along Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building yesterday afternoon to protest against work exploitation and accuse the government of having turned a blind eye to their predicaments.
“We workers are no fools,” Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions director-general Chuang Chueh-an (莊爵安), the leader of the rally, told the large crowd of protesters. [FULL STORY]
