Taipei:Employees of AGC Display Glass Taiwan gathered outside the Ministry of Labor in Taipei to protest against low and stagnant wages, ahead of a planned strike next week.

According to Focus Taiwan, the company's labor union, led by deputy head Huang Tzu-chien, has legally voted to initiate a strike starting Monday. The union is seeking intervention from the Labor Ministry for mediation with the company's management. Huang highlighted that, despite being in operation for 25 years in Yunlin County, AGC has never implemented an across-the-board pay raise, leaving long-term employees with what he described as "ridiculously" low salaries.

The union also claims the company has been downgrading compensation by incorporating mid-year bonuses into base salaries, eliminating long-term service rewards, and not honoring planned salary increases. This situation has reportedly contributed to high employee turnover, which the union aims to address to retain talent and ensure sustainable operations.

Cheng Nai-wei, from the Yunlin County General Federation of Industrial Unions, stated that while Japanese employees of AGC receive annual raises of 5-6 percent, Taiwanese employees were "deceived" during summer negotiations. The union is demanding a 5 percent raise for all employees and has begun an 80-hour hunger strike outside the company's factory.

The union represents nearly 1,000 of AGC's 1,600 employees, with approximately 90 percent participating in the recent strike vote, 96 percent of whom voted in favor.

In response, the Ministry of Labor confirmed that the AGC union had followed legal procedures to secure the right to strike. The ministry emphasized that the company management must not retaliate against union members or striking employees and urged the company to engage with the union sincerely.

AGC Display Glass Taiwan has stated that it remains open to dialogue, having prepared a proposal and urging the union to resume negotiations. The ministry plans to collaborate with the Yunlin County government to facilitate discussions to protect workers' rights and resolve the dispute.