TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Approximately 5,000 laborers protested the Tsai Administration’s labor policies at an organized event held in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard on Monday (May 1).

The event coincided with May Day, otherwise known as International Workers' Day. The assembled crowd was disappointed by policies enacted by the DPP, with the failure to address such issues potentially leading labor groups to vote for other parties in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Organizers of the protest put forward major demands: higher wages and restoration of national holidays; youth programs and protection for seniors; better protection for medical care workers; and more support for labor unions.

Laborers stage a May Day protest on Ketagalan Boulevard. (CNA photo)

Labor groups also asked the government to implement a basic monthly salary of NT$30,000 (US$970), restoring 19 days of public and private national holidays, and a holiday for the military, public, and educators on May Day; continued support for a labor insurance fund; and more protection for the right to strike without restrictions.

Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU) President Chiang Chien-hsing (江健興) said the Tsai government has raised basic wages for seven consecutive years, yet increases still can’t keep up with soaring prices and inflation, accusing Tsai of making promises to workers before an election, only to see them disappear later, leaving workers with little recourse but to address their problems directly with their employer.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor (MOL) responded, noting that since 2016, basic wages have risen for seven consecutive years, fulfilling the pledge the government made to grassroots workers.

The MOL also noted that national holidays are regulated by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) as it is not responsible for annual schedules or which groups are entitled to a holiday on May 1 each year.