Labor

A Victory For Taiwanese Labor And A Defeat For The DPP?

Brian Hioe
Was today a victory for organized labor in Taiwan and a defeat for the DPP? In the end, following a grueling day of protest which began at 9 AM and saw no less than three attempts to storm the Legislative Yuan, the committee meeting in which planned changes to the Labor Standards Act were to be reviewed was cancelled. But what now for attempts to stop these changes from being passed into law?...
EnglishLaborNovember 2017Social Movements7 min read

Intensive Protests Against Planned Changes To Labor Laws, More Protests Planned For Night

Brian Hioe
It has been a chaotic day of protest both inside and outside the Legislative Yuan. With the review of planned changes to the Labor Standards Act scheduled for today and the changes set to take effect in the next few months after passing this review, it was anticipated by many that today would be a day of intensive protests against the DPP attempting to force these changes into law. And indeed, protests today have been intensive, seeing multiple attempts to storm the Legislative Yuan, with more protests planned for night...
EnglishLaborNovember 2017Social Movements8 min read

Far Eastern Flight Attendants’ Union Alleges Sexism From Management

Brian Hioe
The ongoing struggle of Far Eastern Air Transport flight attendants against their management has taken on another layer, with accusations by female flight attendants that they were called on to serve alcohol for clients by their management, something decidedly not part of the job of flight attendants. Union representatives allege that this evidences sexism and objectification of female flight attendants by the management...
EnglishLaborNovember 2017Social Movements5 min read

RCA Court Ruling A Victory For Workers, But What Now?

Brian Hioe
A ruling by the Taiwan High Court in favor of RCA workers whose health was affected by industrial pollution is a victory, not only for RCA workers but for Taiwanese labor overall. A landmark case in Taiwanese labor, the case is also a case with few precedents in Taiwanese jurisprudence, as a class action lawsuit with hundreds of plaintiffs. Subsequently, it remains to be seen what will come next for efforts to secure justice for RCA workers...
EnglishLaborOctober 2017Social Movements5 min read

McKenzie Wark’s Take On Wang Hui And Leftist Orientalism

Brian Hioe
A recent essay by McKenzie Wark on Chinese New Left intellectual Wang Hui published on Verso Books’ blog proves an exercise in western academic leftists’ lack of knowledge of Asia and their inadvertent support of individuals with politics that they would likely find repulsive, if not for lack of sufficient knowledge about Asia and wishful desire to find analogues to themselves in non-western countries. It is instructive to examine this essay more closely in order to understand what we might term a form of leftist orientalism...
August 2017EnglishLaborSocial Movements24 min read