TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Interior Minister, Lin Yu-chang, responded on Wednesday (Oct. 4) to firefighters' demands for the formation of unions, stating that firefighters are civil servants, meaning they cannot form unions under the Labor Union Act.
However, Lin said that the ministry is now considering amendments to the Civil Servant Association Act to relax related provisions.
Lin's comments follow a deadly factory blaze in Pingtung, which took the lives of four firefighters. The National Association for Firefighters' Rights also plans a sleep-in protest on Ketagalan Boulevard on Oct. 9.
Addressing concerns over firefighters' association rights, Lin stated that the National Fire Agency will invite input from the National Association for Firefighters' Rights, veteran instructors, retirees, and academic experts to reach a consensus.
Lin acknowledged that the Ministry of the Interior puts high importance on firefighters' rights to join a union and is discussing lowering the threshold for association and amendments to the Civil Servant Association Act.
He further said that cross-institutional discussions are necessary for changes to the Civil Servant Association Act, with preliminary consensus already reached with the Examination Yuan.
