Taipei Metro Under Fire: Union Accuses of Exploiting Cleaning Staff's Paid Leave

Labor Union Alleges "Leave Theft" and Unfair Practices Against Cleaning Workers in Taiwan's Capital.

Taipei, Taiwan – Concerns have been raised regarding the working conditions of cleaning staff employed by Taipei Metro, with a labor union accusing the company of violating labor rights by improperly managing their paid leave.

The Taiwan Labor Dispatch Industry Union (台灣勞動派遣產業工會) held a press conference at the Taipei City Council to bring attention to the issue, alleging that Taipei Metro is undermining the legal entitlements of its cleaning staff.

According to the union, Taipei Metro is allegedly circumventing the Government Procurement Act, resulting in cleaners with a decade of service only receiving three days of paid annual leave. This falls significantly short of the provisions outlined in Taiwan's labor laws.

The press conference saw the involvement of key figures, including the union's advisor Cheng Chung-jui (鄭中睿), the Confederation of Taipei Trade Unions Chair Chiu Yi-kan (邱奕淦), along with Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei (柳采葳) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua (何孟樺).

Cheng stated that as of September 2024, all 652 cleaners across Taipei Metro's 117 stations are outsourced. He explained that the company employs a two-year contract model with cleaning companies, which leads to the dismissal and re-hiring of workers when contracts change hands.

This system, Cheng argues, resets the employees' years of service, effectively resetting their paid leave accrual each time a contract ends. Under the Labor Standards Act, an employee with one year of service should receive seven days of leave, and those with ten years of continuous employment are entitled to 16 days.

Cheng warned that this contractual arrangement could lead to cleaners with over a decade of service only receiving a paltry three days off per year. The union advisor also accused the corporation of suppressing salaries by keeping cleaning staff at entry-level wages indefinitely.

Cheng argued that the outsourcing system discourages workers from asserting their rights. He called on Taipei Metro to directly employ cleaning staff, rather than outsourcing, and to immediately audit and publicly disclose the employment durations of all outsourced cleaning staff.

In response to the accusations, Chen Chung-Chu (陳忠助), director of the Station Operations Division at Taipei Metro, stated that the cleaning contracts do include leave entitlements. However, the official also confirmed that the company would review its contracts to ensure compliance and address any discrepancies.