【精英翻譯關注新聞】Sorting out who qualifies for repayment means labor loan dispute drags on勞動部撤告－【精英翻譯】的部落格

Sorting out who qualifies for repayment means labor loan dispute drags on (2014/03/11)

The Ministry of Labor’s decision to respect a ruling that money provided to laborers affected by a plant closure in 1997 does not need to be repaid ends this battle for some. But the ministry has not offered to compensate 480 workers who paid back this money in good faith before the threat of a lawsuit loomed. They now want the same treatment as their former colleagues.

After Taipei High Administrative Court ruled in favor of workers who lost their jobs when their factory closed, the Ministry of Labor withdrew suits against these workers. It will no longer seek repayment of money given to the workers and it promised to refund some workers who already repaid the funds. But problems remain.

The ministry has only said it will repay workers who paid up after lawsuits were launched. Another 480 workers who made earlier repayments are not included.

Tseng Wei-kai
Lawyer Representing Workers
It’s the same situation. You cannot distinguish cases from before (the lawsuit) and cases from after. If the judge rules that this is compensation and not borrowed money, they should be treated equally.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah appeared at the Legislature to take questions today. He said he would ask the ministry to research the situation.

Jiang Yi-huah
Premier
I will ask Labor Minister Pan to research whether laborers who repaid loans prior to the Hsing Lee Paper Co. litigation should be included in the reimbursement plan.

Labor Minister Pan Shih-wei agreed. He also remained committed to his ministry’s stance that the original payments given to the workers were loans and collection of repayment did not unjustly benefit the government.

勞動部撤告

關廠工人歷經18年艱苦抗爭，終於換得勞動部全面撤告333件官司，還要退5千萬元給292名已還款工人，不過仍有480人，由於在勞動部提告前就還款，恐怕血本無歸。

在台北高等行政法院判決關廠勞工勝訴，勞動部撤告，並承諾將退還已償還的勞工後，其實問題沒有完全解決。

因為勞動部還錢的標準，是被提告後還錢的關廠工人，480位在提告前就還錢的工人，不在此列。關廠工人義務律師很不滿。

[[關廠工人義務律師曾威凱]]
“同樣的事情，它不能區分前面跟後面的不同，如法官所說，這是一個補償，這不是一個借款，它應該一視同仁做處理”

行政院長江宜樺今天在立院備詢時，表示會請勞動部研究。

[[行政院長江宜樺]]
“還沒有興訟之前，就已經償還這一些借貸的勞工，這些金額究竟是不是要一併償還，這件事情，我會請勞動部潘主委(部長) ，他們好好研究一下”

勞動部長潘世偉表示會研究，卻也強調在興訟前，勞工償還的是”貸款”，政府沒有不當得利。