【台灣高等教育產業工會2024.06.05新聞稿】
20年未調薪！勞資爭議調解資方堅拒讓步
英國文化協會外籍教師下週投票 最快6月底罷工！
提醒可能受影響學生及家長 提前聯繫各教學中心
學費8年調漲35%！教師20年未調薪，物價卻已上漲25%！
在台外籍教師不得已將首次進行罷工投票！
歷經五次勞資協商以及由台北市勞動局所召開的勞資爭議調解不成立後，由英國在台辦事處所設的英國文化協會（British Council Taiwan, BC），在台各地英語教學中心[1]聘僱的外籍英語教師，在面對資方拒絕讓步、給予合理調薪回應後，別無選擇，將於下週（6月11日）起正式進行罷工投票。一旦取得過半數會員投票同意，若資方仍拒絕提出更合理的調薪方案，最快預計將於6月底展開罷工！
這將是台灣有史以來，首次教師罷工投票。更可能演變成台灣史上第一次的教師罷工行動！
罷工投票前，台灣高等教育產業工會與高教工會英國文化協會分部，今（5）日下午一點，在超過60名來自包括台灣各工會與勞工團體的聲援下，於信義教學中心大樓一樓廣場，召開戶外記者會。一方面對外公告即將進行的罷工投票期程，以及最快可能發動罷工的期間，再次說明教師別無選擇、不得不被迫罷工的理由，並當場發放說明傳單給學生及家長們，懇切期盼可能受到影響的約600名至800名台灣學生（及其家長），能理解教師們日後可能的罷工，必然將影響到學生的教學課程，然而這實在是在老師們窮盡一切努力後，萬不得已的決定。誠如世新大學社會發展研究所教授，同時也是過去6個月以來代表工會與BC資方集體協商成員之一的陳信行老師，在今天記者會上所言：
『如果可以避免的話，世上沒有一個勞工願意罷工。然而，過去6個月裡，在陪同高教工會BC分部會員進行團體協商談判中，逐漸理解到：不管BC主管的個人意見如何，這個公司，就像世界上大多數營利事業一樣，完全想要犧牲勞工權益、促進利潤最大化。完全沒有意願糾正「二十年不加薪」這種對BC員工的不公不義。而BC主管們認為他們不妥協也沒關係。』
工會再次強調，無論從什麼面向或各種事實來看，英國文化協會BC都沒有任何正當理由拒絕教師所提出合理調薪訴求：
- 自2004年英國文化協會（British Council Taiwan）在台設立英語教學中心，開始聘僱外籍教師從事英語教學以來，已20年未曾調漲教師薪資。
- 過去20年以來，台北地區的物價上漲幅度已超過25%。
- 最近8年，BC對家長學生收取的學費已大幅調高超過35%。
- 近5到6年，BC在台灣的驚人「獲利能力」，遠高於8成以上台灣上市櫃公司。更因台灣業務獲利豐厚，BC數日前已正式於林口，盛大慶祝成立在台第四個英語教學中心。
今天出席記者會的英國文化協會外籍老師們，在平日上課的教學中心大樓廣場，更是大聲喊出他們的心聲：「20 Years, No Fair Pay–British Council, Hear Our Say!」、「Two Decades of Dedication, Still No Fair Compensation!」、「British Council, Do What’s Right – Fair Pay for Our Fight!」
如同今天前來聲援的「全國教師工會總聯合會」特別提醒：
從各種角度看『BC今天絕對不只是所謂非營利的「文化性」協會，而是一家旨在獲利的企業，更是一個龐大的教育跨國公司。他們在全球各地營運、更在全球各地獲利！』
上述事實，都在在顯示作為受僱者的BC教師要求的，只不過是讓薪資跟上物價調漲的最基本、再合理不過的要求罷了，沒想到歷經6個月的協商，甚至在由台北市勞動局召開的勞資爭議調解會議上，BC資方與其高額聘請的律師，仍堅持只願提供3%近乎羞辱性的調薪幅度（光2023年台北市物價上漲率就超過4%！）
工會誠摯期望學生與家長理解後，能一同向英國文化協會表達支持老師爭取合理調薪行動。正如今日記者會前來聲援的「台灣國際勞工協會」研究員吳靜如所說：
『BC教師爭取合理加薪，除了是爭取一個趨近公平的必要行動外，更是為了生活在日常開銷持續上漲況狀下，要求一個勞動者身心壓力的減輕，以為來上課的學生們提供一個更好的教學品質的必要行動！』
最後，工會也提醒學生與家長，一旦罷工投票通過後，工會一定將會在第一時間公告後續執行罷工等重要訊息，同時建議英國文化學會英語各教學中心的家長與學生，宜提早聯繫各教學中心，詢問有關停課與退費等相關事宜。
[1] 英語教師們實際上受僱於英國文化協會在台灣設立登記的「英協文教有限公司」。
[Press Release of THEU outdoors press conference on June 5]
20 years pay freeze, 25% inflation and No reasonable pay raise
Teachers at British Council Taiwan will have strike vote next week
Strike action is expected to begin as early as the end of June
After five rounds of negotiations between British Council Taiwan (BC Taiwan) and the Taiwan Higher Education Union (THEU), and the official mediation by the Department of Labor, Taipei City Government, the BC Taiwan (set up by the British Office in Taiwan) still refuse to concede and provide a reasonable pay increase. The teachers at BC Taiwan[1] have no choice but to proceed with a strike vote starting next week (June 11).
It would be the first time in Taiwan’s history that teachers hold a strike vote, and it might even become the first time teachers’ strike action in Taiwan’s history!
If a majority of union members vote in favor and the employer still refuses to offer a more reasonable pay increase proposal, the strike is expected to begin as early as the end of June. Before the strike vote, THEU holds an outdoor press conference today (5th June) at 1 PM in the plaza of the BC Taiwan – XinYi Teaching Center building, with more than 60 supporters from various unions and labor groups in Taiwan.
As Prof. Chen, Hsin-Hsing who is the professor of Shih-Hsin University Graduate Institute for Social Transformation Studies and also one of the negotiation team of the union said today:
“No workers in the world wants to go on strike, if a strike is avoidable, if their livelihood can be protected by other means. By participating in collective bargaining sessions together with our fellow union members for the past 6 months, I came to understand, no matter what individual members of the British Council management think privately, this organization is determined to maximize its profit at the expense of its employees, exactly like so many other corporations in the world do. They have little intention to right the wrongs suffered by British Council Teachers and Staff for the past 20 years. And the management think they can walk away just fine. But this time, they are wrong. This time, workers are united. They are not going to put up with whatever the management decides anymore. And they have the right to strike!”
THEU and teachers at British Council Taiwan reiterates that, from any perspective or fact, there is no any reason for the British Council Taiwan to refuse the reasonable salary adjustment requested by the teachers:
- Since the BC Taiwan established its English teaching center in 2004 and began hiring teachers to teach English, teachers’ salaries have not been raised in 20 years.
- In the past 20 years, the cost of living in Taipei has increased by more than 25%.
- In the last 8 years, BC has significantly increased tuition fees by over 35%.
- In the past 5 to 6 years, BC’s astounding profitability in Taiwan has far exceeded that of more than 80% of publicly listed companies in Taiwan. Due to the lucrative profits from its Taiwan operations, BC recently celebrated the grand opening of its fourth English teaching center in Linkou.
Today, the teachers of the BC Taiwan loudly expressed their sentiments in the plaza of the teaching center where they usually conduct classes:
“20 Years, No Fair Pay – British Council, Hear Our Say!”
“Two Decades of Dedication, Still No Fair Compensation!”
“British Council, Do What’s Right – Fair Pay for Our Fight!”
Prof. Huang, Han-Yu who is the professor of National Taiwan Normal University Department of English and also a member of THEU board of directors mentioned especially:
“These teachers do not only work for BC Taiwan; they are invaluable partners for our government policy the bilingual country…We believe that this action will not be an exception; it will be the first step to global solidarity among BC’s teachers worldwide.”
The National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU) representing more than 80,000 teachers in elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan, who came to show their support, also particularly reminded:
“It is clear that the BC Taiwan hasn’t valued teachers’ work for 20 years, the time of teachers’ contribution to English learning development in Taiwan. The BC Taiwan is part of the Taiwan Bilingual Policy initiatives, meaning that they are resourced by the government while making extreme profit from parents by selling expensive courses, summer camps and teaching materials in relation with the English test organized by the Council. This is not just a cultural Council. This is a profitable business. This is an international education corporation. They run globally and make money globally. 20 years of teachers’ silence doesn’t mean that the British Council is right. Now it’s the time to unveil the truth, mobilize members and fight back.”
At last, THEU and teachers at British Council Taiwan made a public statement and also distributed flyers to students and parents, sincerely hoping that the approximately 600 to 800 affected Taiwanese students (and their parents) will understand that if the teachers ultimately choose to strike, it is a difficult decision made only after exhausting all other options. The union hopes that students and parents, upon understanding the situation, will express their support for the teachers’ fight for a reasonable pay increase to the British Council.
The union also advises students and parents to contact their respective teaching centers in advance to inquire about classes suspended and refund-related matters.
[1] The teachers at British Council Taiwan collectively joined Taiwan Higher Education Union since last August. Now there are two third teachers at British Council Taiwan are members of the union.
