TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU, 全國教師工會總會) joined forces with legislators Friday (Feb. 21) to advocate for a unified Labor Day holiday and the recognition of Teachers' Day as a national holiday.
Federation president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) revealed that former Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) had promised to consider making Labor Day a uniform holiday. Still, the executive branch has yet to act.
Legislator Saidhai Tahovecahe (伍麗華) from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) stressed that the inability of teachers to rest on Labor Day and Teachers' Day undermines the value of public service and educational principles.
Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) from the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) called for the restoration of Teachers' Day as a holiday, noting that it was a national holiday until 2001. She pointed out that teachers work an average of 10.2 hours daily, and their rights remain compromised.
Hou underscored the broad social consensus for including Labor Day as a national holiday and expressed gratitude to the bipartisan legislators who proposed the holiday legislation. He urged swift action to formalize national holidays and resolve the ongoing holiday confusion, aiming to uphold labor dignity.
