Why is nobody talking about the labour protests?

That’s the problem with Taiwan’s labor laws. If the government actively discourages unions or guilds, as they have always done, then the government should go for a hard regulation on rest days, at least the first DPP amendment is acceptable.

If the government actively encourages unions or guilds, then the second DPP amendment isn’t all that bad.

With the first amendment, the correct course of action is to raise the minimum wage so that the workers can now get by without taking overtime if the owner does not wish to pay them at a premium for overtime.

With the second amendment, the correct course of action is to actively encourage unions and guilds by amending the union act. Every worker in the same industry should join the union of that industry and have a penalty for those who refuse to join. Also have a penalty for those industries who hire workers not in the union. Then give union leaders a stake in the company’s decision making.

If they simply make the laws and do nothing to solve the real underlying issues, they are just opening up a world of hurt for the laborers.

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This situation is now happening with my wife’s company. Everyone in her office has been working 2 weeks straight no weekends and OT each day. Her boss basically said the new labor laws let him do it… Everyones working OT except her boss who comes in at noon and leaves at 4:00 to play badminton lol, but he sure loves to yell at everyone and tell them all how hard working he is.

The new law isn’t in effect yet. Her boss is breaking the law.

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A lot of these pseudo macho dipshit type bosses here

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Sounds like it may be time for your wife to find a new job.

he doesn’t care, he has someone clock in and out for them. Im sure he’s breaking many laws and probably has some connections.

She’s thinking about it, but the job pays well for her/Taiwan. She’ll prob stick it out another couple months till after CNY

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Maybe I have been here too long, but does it seem to anyone else that the Baby Boomers in Taiwan are the most selfish on the planet? Its an issue everywhere, but the entitlement, greed and selfishness of the older generation here seems to be the root of so many of the societies ills.

They have taken advantage of Confucian values and filial piety to get away with basically enslaving the younger generation.

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I’ve come to the same conclusion too. Its painfully obvious now, whereas 15-20 yrs ago it wasn’t.

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:rofl:

They say exactly the same thing in Canada, except for the boomers themselves, who have been saying it about Young People Today since they became parents, basically.

But I swear, some of my best friends are boomers! :slight_smile:

You mean your parents?

You’ve got the timeline wrong. But it’s okay – I wouldn’t expect a mere Earthling to understand. :slight_smile: :heart:

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[quote=“hansioux, post:63, topic:165612, full:true”]

I often can agree with much of what i read from you. But this one I wonder if I’m reading it wrong? Can you elaborate a bit? Specifically on the ethics, or your logic on the penalties for non compliance if joining a union/hiring union workers. That seems like a super slippery slope in a country like Taiwan! I think I get where you’re going perhaps if you compare to other countries, but Taiwan is usually slightly unique and often very different in these ways compared to other nations. Interested to hear this thought spelled out :slight_smile:

The difference between boomers in Taiwan and places such as Canada

  • boomers in Taiwan raped the environment and continue to do so because they own most of the companies and the land
  • boomers in Taiwan still control the government and power so little really changes (in many countries , excepting the US, they are not really in charge anymore )
  • boomers in Taiwan enjoyed boomtimes of less competition but continually criticise young people as lazy
    -military, police, teacher boomers in Taiwan got massive pensions and early retirement at 50 or so expense of future generations and paid almost no tax
  • boomer generation often act like pigs here, atrocious driving, throwing trash around, jumping queues, generally obsessed about face. My impression about boomers in other countries is the opposite, affable, polite, good drivers , not queue jumpers (we are talking East Asia and Ethnic Chinese here who are very pushy though …)
  • boomers in Taiwan didn’t really question the previous generation , rather they enjoy the privileges of the Confucian society and maintain many of the traditions that benefit them
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One thing I’d add to Brian’s impressive list is that the boomers here were educated during the dictatorship era, with much emphasis on Chinese nationalism (as you would expect) and almost nothing about Taiwan. There are many in this generation that have so to speak re-educated or self-educated, either through extended family or community knowledge, through the nascent environmental movement in the 1980s and after, through love of Taiwan’s magnificent mountains, etc. But many folks here retain the initial imprint of their formal education, with little sense of Taiwan as a place you would want to care for and protect, and (sadly) a strong ethos of grabbing what you can.

Guy

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What he said.

I often walk Bobby by one of the fanciest buildings in Xindian. It is mostly populated by elderly and middle aged folk. Same with most places with elevators. Young people and young families populate the rented gongwus. When any housing opens, the firts ones there are the elderly 80 house owned landlords.

It is basically a worldwide phenomena, enhanced here by the awful real estate bubble. I was reading about the milenials moving to teh cities, living in colonies like hippies, avoiding suburbia…and people telling them why don’t they get better jobs and earn more money.

One of my neghbors was talking about another one, who runs the only self serve place in teh hood. he sent his kids abroad to the best schools. They came back to work for him at teh self serve. the place makes them a lot of money, it si tryue, they have bought houses for all kids. But the man works non stop. Mornings in teh market seling veggies, afternoons and evenings in the self serve restaurant. One wonders what happened to the kids.

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Will add another one:

  • boomers in Taiwan are the C-level decision makers in most Taiwanese companies. Many of them are not really doing anything, just taking up space and complaining about young people while earning huge salaries. Even Jack Ma said it was strange how most Taiwanese tech executives are so old. Nothing changes in industry because of these dinosaurs

To be fair a large number of boomers in Taiwan never even finished high school. Their education was extremely lacking . Some didn’t even have good nutrition . Females weren’t treated well at all . Also the education they received was semi brainwashing . But one thing I do admire about boomers of Taiwan was their go getter drive and willingness to work hard (apart from those govt workers retiring at 50 ).

As Icon mentioned the boomers control almost all the wealth in Taiwan . You almost never see well off younger folk buying houses and cars unless their parents generation paid for it somehow.

Agreed that it is a worldwide phenomena due to asset price inflation versus earnings but its just more extreme in Taiwan.

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On this point I certainly agree.

Look at the old folks around you in Taipei–by and large they look unhealthy, with lots of hair loss among elderly women due to environmental pollution and at times poor nutrition. One failure of the education system is the inability to square things up: to see how the pollute-and-grab industrial structure has in fact damaged their lives and well-being. The one key lesson they have learned is to keep their heads down and not (at least openly) connect the dots. Of course there are exceptions here (through the women’s movement, the environmental movement, and Indigenous resurgence–itself a complicated process in this settler colonial context). Will the next generation be able to step up and address these vexing concerns? I can’t presume to say but I do have more faith in them than many of their elders.

Guy

It’s laghable to call the old people in Taiwan boomers. That’s an entirely western, primarily North American, concept.

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