英國文化協會教師集體加入工會 成立分部!THEU-British Council Taiwan Branch is Established!

受聘於英國文化協會(台灣)語言中心的教師們(包含本國籍與外國籍),近日集體加入台灣高等教育產業工會,並正式成立分部(下稱工會BC分部),共同推選出Jack Falconer老師、Travis Fry老師,擔任工會BC分部召集人與副召集人。因為教師們深信:透過團結加入工會有助改善所有受僱於教育產業的勞動者處境!

Teachers at the British Council Taiwan have decided to join a trade union. The main reasons are that we believe that being in a union is a way to improve the jobs of all people working in education.

英國文化協會自2005年在台灣成立,至今在台運作已18年,然而,英國文化協會(台灣)所聘僱的語言中心教師們,過去18年來,在物價(CPI)水平增長了超過21%情況下,薪資與勞動條件卻沒有任何的調整。教師們期望透過工會化,與英國文化協會(台灣)進行平等的集體協商,爭取公平、合理的薪資調漲。

Our teachers have not received an inflation based pay rise since the British Council Taiwan was established in 2005. Working with THEU we hope to achieve fair and equal pay that reflects the rising cost of living and inflation.

此外,由於過去長時間教師們頻繁被要求同時於週六、週日兩天週末從事教學工作。工會BC分部不反對英國文化協會將課程安排於週末。然而,當資方單方面排班、強制教師們六、日兩天週末皆需連續出勤授課時,則已嚴重影響到教師們正常家庭生活。因此,工會BC分部亦希望透過工會化,為自己與家人爭取一個更合理的工作/生活平衡。

We are also aiming for better work life balance. Currently, our staff are often forced to work both Saturday and Sunday. We accept that our business falls on the weekend, but making us work both weekend days prevents us from spending normal family time with our spouses and children. We want the BC to allow full time staff to work either Saturday or Sunday and not both.

再者,英國文化協會(台灣)所聘僱的語言中心教師們當中,包括許多以時薪計薪的部分工時教師,工會BC分部要求英國文化協會必須遵守台灣相關勞動法令,給予部分工時工作的教師們,等比例計算的各項權益(包括各種給薪假,如特別休假與給薪病假)。工會BC分部也期望為這群時薪制的教師們,爭取到更多轉為全職聘僱教師的工作機會。

In addition, many of our teachers are hourly paid part time workers, and we want to make sure that their contracts allow them a fair amount of annual leave and sick leave pay. We want better benefits for them, and more full time jobs to become available.

最後,由於擔憂英國文化協會日後有可能片面變更勞動契約,變更教師們既有的權益與福利,工會BC分部也將致力於保障教師們既有的權益與福利。

Finally, we want to protect our jobs and current benefits, protecting things like our medical insurance scheme that we worry could be taken away.

總結來說,工會BC分部期待透過工會化改善教師們的勞動條件與福利,讓教師們得以更無後顧之憂地為台灣的學生與機構,繼續提供最高水準的語言教學與訓練課程。

To sum up, with our own THEU-BC branch we hope to be able to improve the welfare and status of all our staff, so that we can continue to provide high standards of language teaching and training to the people of Taiwan.