Recent announcements of layoffs and production suspensions in Kaohsiung’s petrochemical industry have sparked concern among workers and industry stakeholders. On the 6th, Kuomintang (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate and Legislative Yuan member Ke Chih-en attended a roundtable discussion with representatives from the Kaohsiung Petrochemical Industry General Union, business operators, and labor union leaders. She presented a three-point proposal—'Reduce Burdens, Protect Jobs, Assist Transformation'—and reiterated her call for the Ministry of Labor to include the petrochemical sector under Category 10 of the Employment Stability Measures, aiming to help workers navigate the impacts of industrial transformation.

The forum was attended by Kaohsiung City Councilors Li Ya-ching, Chiu Yu-hsuan, Chen Li-na, Wang Yao-yu, and Huang Tien-huang’s service team. Nearly 90% of Kaohsiung’s petrochemical unions and factory representatives were also present to exchange views. Attendees highlighted that in recent years, the petrochemical industry has faced not only external competition from China’s low-priced exports and overcapacity but also mounting pressures from rising electricity prices, carbon fees, and other operational costs, making business operations increasingly difficult. Workers expressed deep concerns about how potential plant closures could threaten their job security.

During the discussion with the Petrochemical Industry General Union, Ke emphasized that the government’s push for net-zero transition should not place the entire burden on Kaohsiung’s petrochemical sector. She warned against over-concentrating resources in semiconductor and AI industries while neglecting traditional sectors. She stressed that the petrochemical industry remains a crucial pillar of Kaohsiung’s economy and an essential part of the semiconductor supply chain, urging the central government to develop more comprehensive support strategies.

On 'Reducing Burdens,' Ke advocated for a review of electricity rates, natural gas costs, carbon pricing mechanisms, and administrative expenses to alleviate transformation pressures on businesses and prevent them from exiting the market before completing upgrades.

Regarding 'Protecting Jobs,' she called for establishing an early warning system for industries and including petrochemical workers under the Employment Stability Measures. She also proposed cross-factory talent matching, vocational retraining programs, and using carbon fee revenues to establish an Industrial Transition Fund to help workers smoothly transition to new roles.

For 'Assisting Transformation,' Ke believes the government should support the petrochemical industry with the same intensity as it does tech industries, guiding it toward high-value, low-carbon, and intelligent development. She urged investment in high-value-added fields such as electronic chemicals, specialty chemicals, circular materials, and semiconductor materials to enhance industrial competitiveness.

Ke pointed out that the shutdown of Taiwan Benzene’s Linkou plant has already raised fears among workers of a cascading closure effect. She previously proposed four key demands: strengthening protections for middle-aged and older employees, promoting internal reemployment during plant transformations, establishing a dedicated talent-matching zone for the Lin Yuan petrochemical area, and allocating carbon fee revenues to a labor rights protection fund. She urged the central government to seriously address the livelihood impacts of industrial transformation on workers.

She emphasized, 'The petrochemical industry should not be seen as a sunset industry. If the government truly wants to demonstrate its commitment to supporting industries and protecting workers, it must promptly include the petrochemical sector under Category 10 of the Employment Stability Measures and provide workers with more comprehensive job security.'

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  • Source: PR Times
  • Category: News