Taoyuan:Eleven union officials at Micron Technology Inc.'s Taoyuan facility initiated a 24-hour symbolic strike on Thursday. The action was in response to the company's lack of a concrete profit-sharing proposal and dissatisfaction with an agreement made with its Taichung union the previous day.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taoyuan union organized the strike in solidarity with its Taichung counterpart, who had planned to mediate with Micron on Thursday. However, an agreement was reached between Micron and the Taichung union on Wednesday, leading to the cancellation of the mediation. The details of this agreement were not publicly disclosed.
Union Chairman Jerry Lin criticized the exclusion of the Taoyuan union from negotiations at a news conference outside Micron's Taoyuan facility. He emphasized the joint formation of four demands with the Taichung union, expressing frustration that Taoyuan's perspectives were overlooked, resulting in a unilateral agreement with the Taichung union.
Lin also questioned the legitimacy of the vote on the agreement, stating that the vote count did not reflect the full representation of Taoyuan union members. He suggested that the final tally should have indicated a lack of consensus on the agreement.
Vice Chair Qu Jia-yun of the Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions labeled the agreement as "shocking," accusing the Ministry of Labor (MOL) of facilitating a division among workers through biased negotiations.
The core of the dispute lies in Micron's Incentive Pay Plan (IPP), which the union argues lacks transparency. The union is advocating for a long-term mechanism to allocate 15 percent of the company's operating profits to employees. Union Secretary-General Wei Yu-ling noted that the strike was not intended to disrupt production but warned of potential escalations if demands are not met.
Micron, which employs about 3,000 workers in Taoyuan and 12,300 in Taichung, had its Taoyuan union authorize the strike earlier with overwhelming support. The union urged its members to vote on Micron's proposed terms following a company-wide meeting.
Negotiations between the Taoyuan union and Micron are set to resume at the Taoyuan City Government on Friday afternoon. The MOL confirmed that Wednesday's talks did not yield an agreement and reiterated its respect for the union's legal right to strike.
Micron Taiwan Chairman Donghui Lu acknowledged the Taoyuan strike, expressing respect for the union's restrained approach. He detailed new company commitments, including a quarterly profit-sharing bonus, salary adjustments, and increased benefits, as part of the Taichung agreement. Lu affirmed ongoing communication with the Taoyuan union to achieve a satisfactory resolution.
