【高教工會新聞稿 2024.03.26】
八年學費漲35% 二十年薪資凍漲 物價上漲25%
英國文化協會外籍英語教師加入工會 以行動爭取合理調薪
2004年起，英國在台辦事處（British Office Taipei）所屬的英國文化協會（British Council Taiwan, BC），在台北信義區，設立了第一個英語教學中心，並開始逐步增加聘用來自英國、美國等國之外籍專業教師來台，從事英語教學工作。經過了20年時間的發展，英國文化協會（BC）在台灣所營運的英語教學中心，已擴張到學生人數規模約2,000人，聘僱了專業教師約五十人，並擁有包括信義、天母石牌與松山三個營業據點，且預計設立於林口的第四個教學中心，也正籌備中、即將成立。
但難以讓人置信的是，受僱於BC英語教學中心的教師們，因喜愛台灣的人文風情與環境，千里迢迢遠離家鄉來台，盡心盡力提供台灣學生最優質的教學品質，但過去20年來的薪資，竟完全沒有任何調漲！同期間，消費者物價指數CPI漲幅超過25%。考量物價上漲，20年來BC英語教學中心老師已遭「實質減薪」25%！
三分之二BC教師加入工會 歷經四次勞資協商仍未果
也正因如此，去（2023）年9月起，BC英語教學中心老師，集體加入了高教工會，並立即成立了分部，由於加入工會的教師已超過BC英語教學中心全體老師的半數以上（目前加入工會BC教師已佔全體教師人數三分之二），工會正式依法要求與BC資方進行團體協約協商，並提出了至少在薪資上，補足物價上漲通膨率25%的調幅；以及其他各項合理訴求。然而，在歷經去年12月起至今的四次勞資協商會議後，BC資方依然拒絕工會所提出再合理不過的調薪要求，只願提供為期僅僅9個月的極其微幅、甚至低於最近一年物價漲幅的「暫時性」薪資調整。而根據英國文化協會資方的說法，之所以只能提供9個月極微幅調整原因，乃是因英國文化協會將於明年完成最新的全球各據點薪資結構評估(pay review)，屆時教師的薪資才能確定是否調漲與調幅。
然而，對於資方在協商中不斷表示，由於英國文化協會為一全球性組織，需在明年完成薪資結構評估後，才能決定是否對教師停滯了20年的薪資進行正式調整說詞，工會完全無法信任、且認為只是資方慣性拖延的作法。事實上過去20年，每當英語教學中心教師向BC資方詢問何時調薪時，BC資方回應永遠是：他們將進行所謂薪資結構評估後再決定。然而，20年來，從來沒有任何一次在薪資結構檢視評估後真正有所調薪。
獲利驚人 單一教學中心年營收上億！ 教師值得更合理對待
對比於英國文化協會在台灣的英語教師20年薪資凍漲，其在台灣英語教學中心的營運卻完全是另一番面貌。根據工會調查，BC在台灣的營運，以開班數、每班學生規模以及對每位學生收取學費概估，光是信義一個教學中心，單單一年學費營收，就遠超過一億元！不過就在上週，英國文化協會地區主管(Regional Director)才在內部公開表示：『英國文化協會在台灣的營運，是各國/地英國文化協會網絡中，擁有最不可思議商業成果（即獲利）的據點之一[1]』。直接證實了英國文化協會在台灣營運獲利驚人的事實。根據工會所掌握的資訊：BC在台灣的營運，在對台灣學生與家長收取越來越高的學費下，近年來，每年的獲利都是極為驚人！獲利能力甚至超過80%以上的台灣上市、上櫃公司。
與此同時，雖然歷次協商中BC資方始終拒絕提供歷年學費數據，但根據工會自行掌握的資料，BC英語教學中心學費持續不斷調漲，從2016到2024年，對學生/家長所收取學費（每小時）就從550元調漲至745元，漲幅高達35%。BC英語教學中心收取的學費，幾乎是台灣多數英語補習班近兩倍，而BC之所以能夠收取如此高學費，就在於其強調所聘僱的教師具高度專業及豐富教學經驗，而這也的確是事實，BC對其聘僱教師包括學經歷、國際教學證照等要求，幾乎是全台英語補習班中最嚴格的一個機構。然而，當教師被BC拿來作為不斷調高學費「招牌」時，面臨到的卻是20年來實質減薪25%的處境。
工會將發動一系列行動 加強力道爭取合理待遇
在歷經四次勞資協商會議後，由於BC資方仍堅持不肯針對工會的調薪訴求提出合理對案，甚至單方面宣稱沒有任何再行調整的空間。因此，工會雖然不放棄與資方繼續協商，然而，加入工會的BC教師也正式決定規劃一系列行動，加強力道爭取合理待遇。包括針對BC英語教學中心的學生與家長散發傳單，讓學生與家長瞭解BC的驚人獲利以及老師的真實處境，共同呼籲BC資方不能僅單方面調漲學費，卻讓教師經濟處境日益艱困。工會近日也將依法向勞工主管機關提出調整事項勞資爭議調解，倘若調解不成立，不排除循法規進入爭議行為發動的各項程序。最後，工會嚴正提出以下幾點呼籲及訴求：
一、 BC資方應針對工會包括調薪等訴求，提出更合理的回應對案。
二、 有鑑於英國文化協會與台灣教育部等政府機構有密切合作關係，也是教育部推動「雙語國家政策」重要合作對象，工會要求教育部應主動向英國文化協會反應，呼籲其在大賺台灣學生、家長學費同時，也應合理對待教師。
表一、英國文化協會英語教學中心學費調漲表（2016-2024）
|
年份 Year |
每小時課程學費 Tuition fee per hour |
調漲比例 Percentage increase |
|
2016 |
550元 (NT Dollars per hour) |
－ |
|
2024 |
745元 (NT Dollars per hour) |
超過35% |
製表：台灣高等教育工會
表二、英國文化協會下設各英語教學中心成立時間點：
|
年份 Year |
英語教學中心據點 English language schools |
|
2004 |
信義英語教學中心 XinYi English language school |
|
2017 |
石牌英語教學中心 ShiPai English language school |
|
2023 |
松山英語教學中心 SongShan English language school |
|
規劃中即將成立 |
林口英語教學中心 |
製表：台灣高等教育工會
表三、近二十年來消費者物價指數＆基本工資變化表
|
|
消費者物價指數 Consumer Price Index (CPI) |
消費者物價指數漲幅 CPI Percentage increase |
|
|
年份 Year |
2005 |
2023 |
－ |
|
台灣 Taiwan |
84.75 |
105.51 |
24.5 % |
|
台北市 Taipei City |
85.24 |
106.81 |
25.3 % |
製表：台灣高等教育工會
[1] 英國文化協會地區主管原文為: “Taiwan had some of the most incredible commercial outcomes … in the [British Council] network.”
Press release
After 20 years pay freeze and 25% inflation, Teachers at British Council Taiwan unionise to demand fair and decent pay
March 26, 2024
Teachers at British Council Taiwan (BCTW) joined the Taiwan Higher Education Union (T.H.E.U) and formed a branch after 20 years of management ignoring requests to increase salary scales to deal with cost of living increases. In that time teachers have seen the minimum wage almost double and prices in Taipei going up every year while the pay scale stays the same.
BCTW teachers are hugely dedicated to their company and their students, and to being the best teachers they can be. They are among the most highly-qualified and well-trained group of English language teachers in Taiwan. BCTW only accepts teachers with internationally recognised qualifications in language teaching and a minimum of two years of teaching experience; many teachers have decades of experience. To move up the salary scale, BCTW teachers also need to get further masters’ level qualifications in language teaching and undergo a regular system of training and development. Customers are aware of this when they decide to pay student fees that are significantly higher than average.
In good faith, unionised teachers asked that the British Council management team join them for collective bargaining and negotiation on the following points:
- Pay and reward, specifically an adjustment to the salaries and part-time rates to reflect the rising cost of living since 2004, and including compensation for teachers who have reached the top of the scale, and therefore no longer receive any pay rise.
- The requirement that teachers work weekends and evenings without additional compensation. Many teachers have families and the required teaching hours put immense stress on home life, with some teachers barely seeing their children or spouses.
- Breaches of Taiwanese labour law for hourly contract teachers, who have not received the correct amount of annual leave or any sick leave pay, despite repeated requests from the Teachers’ Association over many years.
- Greatly increased workloads since the salary scale was initially set.
- One specific case where a long-standing employee was made redundant without being given his full contractual severance package.
So far, the only remedies management have consented to have been matters required by law: the correction of the severance pay for a former teacher, and honouring its legal obligations to give current part-timers their legally required annual leave and sick leave pay.
However, teachers do not believe that no longer breaking the law is a sufficient standard for the British Council, and they have little faith in yet another management promise of pay reviews. These promises delay real action, and in the past have never yielded results.
Only this week, the British Council Regional director went on record stating that ‘Taiwan had some of the most incredible commercial outcomes … in the [global British Council] network’. Yet management have not fully explored ways to properly compensate people for giving up their family lives and so far they have offered only a tiny, temporary pay increase–barely equal to inflation for just this past year alone.
British Council management refuse to provide historic data about student fees to the union, but we know that fees have increased by at least 35% since 2016. We estimate that student fees go up by roughly 5% each year, and have approximately doubled since the British Council Taiwan was first opened, while teacher salary scales remain unchanged.
BCTW has also become a success story, with what was originally just one teaching centre expanding into three–soon to be four–teaching centres. There are around 2,000 students at the moment, most paying fees that are double the cost of many other English language cram schools in Taipei.
A large proportion of total income is currently net profit that leaves Taiwan to be added to the general company surplus, which is partly used to pay the wages of managers abroad. According to the company’s most recent annual report, 650 staff members working for the British Council globally were earning over 2.4 million NTD a year in 2022-23, up from 531 in 2021-22.
Management are refusing to authorise any long-term pay adjustment or to make any offer that our members can take seriously in light of 20 years of inflation with absolutely no pay rise. We are therefore holding this press conference to encourage management to return to negotiations with a more sincere intention of reaching an agreement. The union will take action if they do not receive offers that the members consider fair and reasonable.
British Council teachers take pride in offering the best English education they can to the citizens of Taiwan, and they know that their students, both adults and children, value their experience, expertise, and care.
All these teachers are asking is that the management team do the same.