TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chunghwa Telecom Workers' Union held a protest outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei at 10 a.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 27), calling for higher wages and good faith negotiations with the state-run telecom operator.

According to the labor union, 500 people joined the protest. The labor union said Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) earned third-quarter revenue of NT$55.61 billion (US$1.07 billion), a seven-year high compared to a similar fiscal period. 

"The company should not just distribute profit to shareholders and other parties, but should transfer it to employees," said Liu Jie-hsiang (劉傑翔), secretary-general of the Chunghwa Telecom Workers' Union. Liu said the labor union had agreed to delay the strike vote earlier this year, though it may revisit this decision as negotiations with the telecom have not exhibited any urgency.

The labor union has put forth three major demands to CHT. The first is an increase in monthly salary by NT$7,500 and an increase in transportation allowances by NT$3,000. The second request is to undertake good-faith negotiations and make up for the lack of progress. The third demand is extending the mandatory employee retirement age beyond 65.

Minister of Transport and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said on Tuesday that he would ask CHT to coordinate with the labor union as soon as possible. Chen said the state-run telecom is a publicly listed company and bound by corporate governance regulations, though he hoped labor and management could reach a timely agreement.