一例一休 was the only workable compromise for the current situation.
The real debacle is Premier Lai pushing to abolish it, believing that would save DPP votes in in the 2018 mayoral election. Not only did that back fire on him, he didn’t even manage to give back the 7 holidays removed to implement 一例一休.
The only thing he accomplished was to further alienate left leaning youth votes, and give fodder to camps backed by China, especially the fake left Ko Wen-je.
一列一休 was a disaster. The good old boys (you know who) put massive pressure on Tsai and Lai to scrap it. I know I was there in the banquet hall when they were giving her an earful.
I don’t think pissing off the old boys is a disaster, I think losing youth votes and the leadership position in labor protection to Chinese backed candidates is the real disaster.
Tsai is the most labor and environment friendly president that Taiwan has ever had. To see all her efforts to improve Taiwan’s labor inequality and green energy tarnished and hijacked by politicians without any real moral value who would just say anything to get votes is a damn shame.
Like Korean Fish, Terry Gou, or Ko Wen-je gives a rats ass about workers rights…
I’m not sure we’re talking about the same old boys…hint: take a look at Am Cham’s position paper on 一列一休
And yet 3 years later the toxic sludge still spews into the river behind my home. And the illegal factories continue to dump toxins into the ground.
Yeah, it’s not like the US is leading the world in taking care of its workforce… I mean what else do you expect from the Trump administration?
I have no doubt that shady practices still happen. The new law states all high polluting illegal factories in designated agricultural zones should be closed down immediately, and medium to light ones have 20 years to get assistance and pass inspection to become legal factories. With Taiwan’s law enforcement, that’s probably not going to turn out well.
Though as a president, Tsai is focusing on transitioning Taiwan’s energy away from fossil fuel and nuclear. It’s not her job to enforce the law down to every factory. I mean the law is obviously against factory pollution, so it’s not like the factories are getting a free pass here.
As for the solution, I wonder what will it take to stop dumping pollutants into the rivers. It’s also not just that. Even high tech factories use vacations, rainy days, typhoons to release gasses into the air. Perhaps if mandatory sensors directly linked to government database is to be installed on all chimneys and drains can help monitor the issue?
We need firm brutally firm speedy action. No two ways about it
https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20190523000346-260205?chdtv
Plenty of people are caught and prosecuted promptly. They even enacted a new law that will put people behind bars just this year.
Still, the issue is that you can only catch them after the fact, and if it’s not turning the river into bright colors it’s pretty difficult to catch them. Feels like we need a preventative measure and not just punishments.
That there are too many (legal and illegal) factories is the biggest problem, and hardest to solve when investment is almost all concentrated in industry.
It can be done, but the usual cultural, political, even religious obstacles in place. All these unnecessary mayors, community leaders whatever you call them of small counties. A lot of these factories need to shutter or play ball, move to proper assigned areas and have government actively police. But can’t lose those votes right. And it’s 不方便 for all those workers who scoot over to the factories to have to move.
You do see areas where they are replacing those cheap ugly green factory structures with cemented nice looking structures and industry zones. This is great. But again its the replay of the slow aching slow change…sure our kids and grandkids will reap the benefits but what about us poor schmucks now
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/10/15/us/ap-us-formosa-plastics-texas-pollution.html
Formosa Plastics Corp dumps waste in to rivers in Texas as well.
I think at this point Taiwanese companies treat illegal discarding pollutants as their right. It’s so ingrained in the business culture, they would do it anywhere because to them it’s the natural thing to do.
Yep.
It’s sad. I don’t what else to say. Bad education? Can’t just be education. Greed? I don’t know
All highly polluting companies treat illegal discarding pollutants as their right. Shell is notorious for oil leakages in Nigeria. Many European companies are extremely shady abroad, they just keep their home countries clean.
Then… I’m proud that Taiwanese companies don’t discriminate, I guess?
#equalopportunitypolluter #polluteindiscriminately
Yip fuck it we’re all fucked might as well make it a double
More like these industries have not been 100% outsourced from here but they have from Europe.
Getting sued over pollution is just the cost of doing business. Goes something like make_pollution = chance_of_getting_caught_per_year * average_fine < profit_from_polluting. Until the scale tips the other way, nothing will change. Business will do what’s profitable.
Not all businesses, far from it.
OK. All English news makes the KMT candidate seem like a raving lunatic.
But a large amount of people still stand behind him from all walks of like. They all can’t be deplorables.
So, what I want are stories about the positive things he’s done. Or if you don’t agree, at least the positive things the people who support him think he has done.