TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chunghwa Telecom Workers’ Union members protested outside their employer's office overnight on Thursday (Dec. 5) after negotiations between the two parties broke down.

Union members spent four hours negotiating with the partly state-owned Chunghwa Telecom asking for a monthly pay increase of NT$7,500 (US$231) earlier in the day. According to a press release, they also requested monthly transport allowances to be increased by NT$3,000 and for guarantees that workers would not be forced to retire.

The union's Secretary-General Liu Chieh-hsiang (劉傑祥) said around 10 people camped overnight outside Chunghwa Telecom. He said he believes the longer negotiations take the more workers will protest.

Liu noted the labor act was revised in July to prevent employers from forcing workers to retire. He said that Chunghwa Telecom has not proposed meaningful plans to address the changes and accused the company of delaying the issue hoping it would go away.

The campout follows an around 500-person protest outside the communications ministry on Nov. 27 during which union members made the same demands. In response, Communications Minister Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said he had asked Chunghwa Telecom to negotiate with industry representatives.

Chen said that if union workers go on strike it may cause problems for Chunghwa Telecom customers. He said he hopes the union can conclude its negotiations successfully to protect consumer rights.

Chunghwa Telecom is 35% owned by the communications ministry and employed just over 20,000 people in 2023. The company states on its website that it expects 4,000 employees will resign within the next 10 years when they reach retirement age.