Hello everyone,

Today, we have great honor to invite three distinguished experts: Mr. Dong Wencai, a highly respected predecessor from the Maritime Port Bureau and now serves at the Taiwan Seafarers’ Welfare Association after retirement; Mr. Liu Huizong, a senior figure in labor movements, a top-notch strategist, and the chairman of the China Airlines Corporate Union; and Ms. Ye Jinge, who is very fluent in foreign languages and has great analytical and planning skills and abundant experience dealing with international unions. All are the top talents in the maritime industry and labor movement.

 

Firstly, Mr. Dong, with his unparalleled expertise in the current framework of maritime laws and regulations, delivered the most comprehensive analysis to date. He meticulously outlined the current maritime laws' amendment processes. He delved into the interpretation of every clause in the maritime laws, starting with the general principles. He classified seafarers into three categories: nationals on national vessels, foreign nationals on national vessels, and national seafarers on foreign vessels. The first category can be directly employed, while the latter two require the country's permission. Additionally, he discussed labor conditions related to seafarers and highlighted several key aspects.

 

One crucial aspect discussed was the working hours. Mr. Dong acknowledged the impracticality of the current maritime laws in implementation, leading to overwork due to inadequate regulations. He proposed a simple solution of increasing the workforce. Another proposed amendment is the bifurcation of seafarers into specific and non-specific routes, applying indefinite contracts only to specific routes (domestic routes). This categorization might hinder uniform application of indefinite contracts for seafarers. However, Mr. Dong emphasized that the applicability of indefinite labor for specific route seafarers would be subject to the union's decision, allowing the union to play a protective role for seafarers.

 

Furthermore, Mr. Dong stressed that fixed-term contracts apply only to onboard duties and are unrelated to the labor relations between individual seafarers and companies. If there is supervision after disembarkation, it should be considered as employment.

 

Finally, in the discussion about working hours, it became evident that numerous seafarers across different routes often exceed the recorded work hours. In some instances, certain routes impose restrictions that prevent seafarers from accurately reporting their actual working hours. This session proved to be a valuable opportunity for both the lecturer and participants to acquire knowledge, facilitating a shared learning experience.

 

The Maritime Laws and related legislation can be accessed via the National Legal Database at https://law.moj.gov.tw/.

 

In the second session, Ms. Ye Jinge began by sharing her experience during the China Airlines strike. Although deeply moved by international support, her attempts to draft responses were met with disagreement within the union. From this, she emphasized the need for clear roles—whether as a translator or author. She introduced the concept of Strategic Corporate Research (SCR), highlighting its potential to boost negotiation success rates by 25%. SCR aims to formulate union strategies and action plans from the employer's perspective by identifying targets and strategies.

 

Drawing examples from the United Automobile Workers (UAW) and the story of Ti Ying saving her father, Ms. Ye analyzed strategies. UAW's surprise action against Ford, resulting in the sudden closure of their most profitable factory, forced Ford to quickly compromise. In Ti Ying's case, she didn't initially protest her father's torture but focused on establishing communication, eventually negotiating her father's release without punishment. Both cases demonstrated effective strategies and communication tactics.

 

In the third session, Chairman Liu presented an overview of socialism. He emphasized that the core of the union is the most crucial element, though it might not immediately solve issues, it remains the soul of the union's operations. Chairman Liu began by discussing the origins of socialism and its differentiation between personal and private property. Socialism advocates for the elimination of private property, considering it the root of labor exploitation. He briefly introduced Karl Marx's life and then proceeded to discuss current governments leaning towards communism, which have turned elitist, dividing people based on wealth, lineage, education, leading to the exploitation of the common people.

 

Chairman Liu highlighted the emphasis of class struggle in communism. Yet, he quoted a saying from the origins of civilization, "Civilization arises from the healing of the femur bone." All animals, if their femur bone is injured, lose their hunting abilities, get abandoned by the group, and face extinction. However, only humans exhibit healing marks on their femur bones because they assist and care for each other after injuries, healing and rejoining the group to establish civilization. He stressed that unions and everyone should work towards mutual support for prosperity. Seafarer brothers and sisters, the approval of the indefinite contract is imminent, with only the final mile remaining. Let's together usher in a new era for seafarers!