TFFU organizes the visit group “Dialogue with Japan unionists on union’s response to M&A” to have the first contact with Japan unions in financial industry:
TFFU delegates visit Federation of Labour Bank Workers Union of Japan (全國労働金庫労働組合連合会，全労金), ZENGIN (全國銀行員組合連合会), UNI-LC Japan, and Federation of Non-Life Insurance Workers’ Unions of Japan, FNIU (損害保險労働組合組合連合会) to discuss the essential issues as below:
1. Impact on employment rights and working conditions of banking employees in the trend of global financial M&A.
2. Union’s effective strategies in response to ensure labor rights.
3. Friendship building among financial unions in Japan and Taiwan.

President of Federation of Non-Life Insurance Workers’ Unions of Japan, FNIU (損害保險労働組合組合連合会), UNI-APRO general secretary Christopher Ng and Oliver Rothing of UNI-APRO financial sector are invited by Chunghwa Telecom Workers’ Union (中華電信工會) to Taiwan for the “Forum on Outsourcing/Offshoring in Taipei” and visit TFFU as well as its member union, MSIG MingTai insurance union after the two-day conference.

In the time of 10th anniversary of WTO, TFFU is invited by “Hong Kong People’s Alliance on WTO” (HKPA，民間監察世貿聯盟) to join the large demonstration against WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong. Over 5,000 farmers, labor and NGO activists from around the world participate in the demonstration. The ICFTU chairperson at the time Sharon Burrow, AFL-CIO president at the time John Sweeney and HKPA chairperson Elizabeth Tang all participate in the event and give speeches to participants.

2006
Malaysia

and

 Singapore

TFFU is invited by UNI-APRO in Singapore and Malaysia LRC to visit National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) Malaysia and Singapore Bank Employees’ Union (SBEU) and exchange experiences on two crucial issues of “union organizing” and “action strategy responding to M&A in financial sector”.

TFFU is formally invited to the NUBE Malaysia contemporary national representatives meeting and re-opening ceremony of NUBE labor training center in Port Dickson.

TFFU invites UNI-APRO general secretary Christopher Ng, NUBE Malaysia president S. Sivabalan, and SBEU Singapore president Michael Lim to the 5th TFFU 2nd national representatives meeting in Kaohsiung City and speeches on “union organizing experiences and responding strategies to M&A in financial sector” are given by distinguished foreign guests.

TFFU is invited to attend the Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) 8th national delegates’ conference in Anuradhapura where leaders of banking unions from India, Malaysia, Nepal and etc discuss the formation of Asian Regional Organization of Banks, Insurance & Finance Unions (AROBIFU) and together release announce the “Anuradhapura Declaration”.

TFFU is invited to attend NUBE Malaysia 50th anniversary celebration event and further discuss preparatory work about forming AROBIFU with leaders from India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

TFFU holds its 15th anniversary celebration event and invites 9 foreign delegates from 5 unions including NUBE Malaysia, AIBEA India, CBEU Sri Lanka and UNI-APRO to give remarks to TFFU national delegates and have seminars with member union leaders.

TFFU and other foreign delegates from 20 unions in 14 countries are invited to AIBEA India 26th national delegates’ conference and formally establish the Asian Regional Organization of Banks, Insurance & Finance Unions (AROBIFU). TFFU president LAI Wan Chih is elected as AROBIFU Treasurer.

TFFU president LAI Wan Chih, AROBIFU president C.H.Venkatachalam, AROBIFU general secretary M.R.Shah are invited to “Meeting of Financial Sector Employees” hosted by George Mavrikos, general secretary of World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) and George Pontikos, vice president of the Trade Union of Financial Sector Employees in Athens to discuss key issues that global financial employees face and possibility of forming a financial division in the current WFTU structure.

The 6th TFFU 1st national representatives meeting adopt the resolution on joining AROBIFU as formal member organization.

Appeal formal international support from AROBIFU member organizations for TFFU president LAI Wan Chih’s dignity and rights as union leader.

Supportive letters of AIBEA India, NUBE Malaysia, CBEU Sri Lanka, FIBEN Nepal, RABBEA Nepal, and KFIU Korea that are signed by union leaders are sent to Taiwan President Ma in support of TFFU president LAI Wan Chih against union agitation by Taiwan Fist Bank and its largest shareholder, Taiwan government.

TFFU is invited to “Interaction amongst AROBIFU Female Trade Union Leaders” hosted by CBEU Sri Lanka. Ms. Chou and Kuang representing TFFU participate in the event.

TFFU president, also AROBIFU Treasurer LAI Wan Chih, TFFU general secretary, also TFFU appointed representative of AROBIFU Directive Bureau HANG Shr Shian, and TFFU deputy general secretary SU Yi Chih participate in the AROBIFU Inaugural Directive Bureau Meeting at NUBE Labor Training Center, Port Dickson Malaysia. Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia Union and Pearl Bank Employee Union Indonesia also participate as observers. Two Nepal banking unions newly join AROBIFU. At the meeting, many important resolutions are adopted including opening of bank account for AROBIFU Fund and starting fund raising, supporting declaration on TFFU president and Treasurer of AROBIFU LAI Wan Chih for suppression on his trade union rights, action plans on stopping outsourcing employees and action plans on training union activities. After the meeting, with the assistance provided by brothers and sisters of NUBE and its KL branch, all the AROBIFU Directive Bureau members demonstrate at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia and AROBIFU president C.H. Venkatachalam, vice president J. Solomon, general secretary M.R. Shah, and treasurer LAI Wan Chih hand the protest letter in person to officer at the embassy.

TFFU cooperates with Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions (TCTU), Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU), National Teachers’ Association R.O.C (NTA)., Union of Formosa Plastics Group, Taoyuan County Federation of Trade Unions, and Kaohsiung County Federation of Trade Unions to hold the “International Forum on Ensuring Rights of Dispatched Labor”, inviting Mr. Qiao Jian, Director of the Department of Employment Relations, China Institute of Industrial Relations (China), Ms. Kim Kyung Ran, KCTU Policy Director (Korea), and RENGO-RIALS vice chairman Mr. TATSUI Youzi (Japan) to discuss the worsening problems of dispatched workers, clarify common and different points of dispatched labor legislations in China, Japan and Korea, and find possibility for future cooperation among unions.

Following the efforts on “International Forum on Ensuring Rights of Dispatched Labor” while the Council of Labor Affairs, the competent authority of labor affairs in Taiwan being keen to push the legislation at the Parliament, through introduction by Rengo-RIALS vice chairman Mr. TATSUI Youzi (Japan), representatives from the same 6 cooperative unions form an “observation group on dispatched labor situation in Japan”. JTUC-RENGO, JTUC-RIALS and some important NGOs targeting at dispatched labor issues receive the delegation group and conduct constructive discussions with fruitful conclusions. HANG Shr Shian, general secretary represents TFFU as one of the group delegates.

4 union financing experts, Mr. ETHIRAJ ARUNACHALAM, Treasurer of AIBEA India, Mr. CHEN Ka Fatt, Hon. Gen. Treasurer, NUBE Malaysia, Mr. CHEANG Chow Fook, staff of union finance division, NUBE Malaysia, and Mr. Asoka Dharmasiri, Assistant Secretary of CBEU Sri Lanka, with their prepared reports given in advance, are invited to Taiwan for AROBIFU Finance Planning Meeting. They not only bring precious union financing experiences to share with TFFU participants but also create new ideas to build up AROBIFU fund. The discussion at the meeting is fruitful and constructive and all the proposed projects will be referred to Directive Bureau Meeting for further discussion in detail.

TFFU holds the first “Annual Unionists and Union Staffs Award” nomination event and arranges the visit trip to National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE, Malaysia) for the prizewinners to learn and exchange union experiences internationally.

TFFU President Lai attends AROBIFU Office Bearers’ meeting as the Treasurer to discuss action plans and working guidelines for the next year.

Executive Director of China Labor Watch (CLW), Mr. Li Qiang visits TFFU and exchange opinions on how unions in Taiwan comment on the rising China labor movement.

TFFU organizes the series courses of “Enhance Capacity of Union Staffs on International Affairs” for member union secretariat staffs to train them with international labor issues and activities. Mr. William, International Affairs Director of Chunghwa Telecom Workers’ Union (CTWU), Mr. Pan, Political Deputy Minister of Council of Labor Affairs (CLA), Mr. Lin, Assistant Research Fellow of Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica, Mr. Liu, Director of Department of Protocol at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Mr. Sung, General Secretary of Taiwan Labor Front(TLF), Mr. Pan, Chief Secretary of Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU) are invited to deliver speeches, share experiences and lead group discussions.

TFFU cooperates with Council of Labor Affairs, Association of Industrial Relations, Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan to hold the “Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility: Example of Standard Chartered Bank” to focus on dispatched labor issues and collective bargaining agreement from international stakeholders’ aspect. Mr. Tang Eng Hong, President of NUBE Malaysia, Mrs. Moon Myoung Soon, Head Vice President, Korean Financial Industry Union (KFIU), Ms. Chung Myoung Hee, General Manager of Policy Making Bureau of KFIU, Mr. Lee, Cheuk Yan, General Secretary of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union (HKCTU) and Member of Legislative Council are invited to look into the possibility of global collective agreement framework from perspective of transnational corporate (TNC) social responsibility.

Deputy General Secretary, Mrs. SU, assists Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU) to coordinate the International Center for Labor Solidarity (ICLS) Taiwan Forum, inviting union and labor study professors from Japan, Korea and Hong Kong to discuss employment flexibility, its impact on dispatched workers especially, and union collaborative responses.

TFFU invites HKCTU activist, Mr. Mak Tak Ching, to brief history of independent union movement in Hong Kong and share experiences of union organizing work after his dedication in this field for over a decade.

TFFU, as a member union of AROBIFU, is invited to attend the 1st International Congress of Banking, Insurance and Finance Trade Unions (TUI BIFU) hosted by World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in New Delhi, India. Prior to the conference, all TFFU delegates join the enormous 30,000 workers’ rally in central downtown. During the conference, China delegates intentionally boycott the agenda to redirect the labor issues meeting into political struggles. TFFU delegates hold firm stance to the participants’ country title “Taiwan” which is applied ever since TFFU is the founding member of AROBIFU. Despite China delegates’ unfriendly practices and suppression, TFFU delegates insist their presence and participation through the whole conference to demonstrate union independency and autonomy.

TFFU is invited to attend the Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union’s (CBEU, Sri Lanka) 9th Biennial Delegate Conference in Colombo and have discussion with newly elected unionists.

TFFU holds the second “Annual Unionists and Union Staffs Award” nomination event and arranges the visit trip to Singapore Bank Employees’ Union (SBEU) / National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) for the prizewinners to learn about successfully-operated for profits union facilities and exchange union experiences internationally.

TFFU releases a solidarity statement to support Korean Standard Chartered Bank Union which has been having serious confrontation and union struggles against the bank’s change in salary system without neither private communication nor collective negotiation with the union since June 27th.

TFFU is invited to attend NUBE’s 21st Triennial Delegates Conference in the union’s Labor Training Center at Port Dickson for discussion on AROBIFU and domestic union issues in Malaysia.

TFFU cooperates with a few labor organizations to organize “Union Organizing in Hong Kong and Taiwan” workshop, inviting Chairman Pan and several experienced activists to share organizing practices.

In response to amended Union Law in 2010 which loosens union organizing restrictions, after internal discussions, TFFU holds temporary national representatives meeting for ratifying its name, written in union constitution, as such, in order to reflect the true situation that members have already include unions in financial industry, not just banking, as well as to enlarge union organization base.

TFFU President Lai and General Secretary Hang are invited to participate in the “15th Social Asia Forum” in Tokyo Japan, briefing key labor issues in Taiwan and having further discussions with unionists and labor law scholars from Japan, South Korea and China.

TFFU officially signs the cross-national solidarity letter, demanding the Malaysian government and labor affair authority should concern the unionists’ illegal lay-off in May Bank and publishes this union struggle and campaign on TFFU periodical for all members.

2012/8/8

Taiwan

Taiwan

 2013/10/24-28

Malaysia

 2013/11/24-28

China

 2013/12/06

Taiwan