Alliance seeks support at labor event in Kaohsiung

RESPECTING LABOR:The Kaohsiung Federation of Labor Unions president praised the alliance for putting a labor activist atop its legislator at-large list

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

The Green Party-Social Democratic Party Alliance yesterday held a Labor Front Unity Congress in Kaohsiung as it seeks to boost its support in the south.

The event in Labor Park was attended by the leaders of more than 10 unions, who stood with party leaders to encourage workers to vote for the alliance in the party ballot on Jan. 16.

“What is important is that [the alliance has] respected labor by putting a labor activist at the top of its legislator-at-large slate,” said Chen Chih-ming (陳志銘), president of the Kaohsiung Federation of Labor Unions, referring to at-large candidate Chang Li-fun (張麗芬).

“There is no party that workers will support unconditionally, but if they respect us, we will support them to the fullest,” Chen said.

The heads of the Tainan Confederation of Trade Unions and the Taipei City Confederation of Trade Unions were also in attendance.

“We are not a wealthy party, so it is unlikely that we will be able to purchase advertisements, but we hope to pull in more votes with everyone’s help,” Chang said.

She said that the event was intended to increase the party’s visibility in the south, following a similar event in Tainan last week.

“There are many autonomous unions in the south, but a majority of our candidates are running in districts in the north, so we think more can be done to garner party ballots,” she said.

There are relatively fewer unions in the north, where the service sector is more dominant relative to traditional industry, she said.

The alliance is contesting one legislative district in Tainan, with the rest of its district candidates registered in the north, particularly in Taipei and New Taipei City.

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