In Taiwan's semiconductor industry, engineers often place green bags of Guai Guai, a coconut-flavored snack, on machinery as a good-luck charm. The snack's maker, the Guai Guai Company, has operated its factory in Zhongli since 1968, but a planned move to Hsinchu—Taiwan's Silicon Valley—has triggered a labor dispute that could stop production.
The company says workers can keep their jobs if they relocate or commute, and it has offered a 5% pay increase. The union notes that raise merely matches Taiwan's new minimum wage adjustment. Meanwhile, the company sold its Zhongli site to Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. for NT$5.6 billion (US$176.1 million), and none of that windfall is being shared with employees.
The union is demanding written guarantees on severance, a NT$10,000 (US$315) monthly raise for those who stay, and a share of the sale proceeds weighted toward longer-serving staff. With 94% of workers voting in favor of strike action, negotiations are ongoing. The Taoyuan Department of Labor is monitoring the situation and says the company's offer should respect workers' years of service and secure their livelihoods.