Firefighters, police and other workers rally in Taipei for the same workplace protections private sector workers enjoy.
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00:00Firefighters, police, law clerks and prison staff rally outside the legislature in Taipei.
00:06A collective push for labor rights is what's brought them together.
00:09As public employees, they're not allowed unions, nor does the workplace safety law that protects
00:14ordinary workers apply to them.
00:16But they say a string of deaths this year shows this arrangement doesn't work.
00:21There's the pair of firefighters killed when their oxygen tanks ran empty.
00:24There's the legal clerk who allegedly died from overwork.
00:27And there have been suicides too, raising concerns about mental health.
00:31In all, 14 public servants have died since New Year's Day.
00:35This rally of several dozen is a memorial to them, but also a call to action.
00:41After a moment of silence for the dead, there are testimonials about the hardships and sometimes
00:45the dangers workers in these fields face.
00:57Though this labor rights movement is political, it's not about partisanship.
01:13As early as last year's presidential race, firefighters had asked all candidates to back
01:17their push for unions and safety rules.
01:20Today too, officials and lawmakers of all party backgrounds have been invited to speak.
01:24Three chairs have even been set aside for representatives for the cabinet, the labor
01:28ministry and the body in charge of exams for civil servants.
01:32But the invited officials are no-shows.
01:35And only one of Taiwan's big three parties has sent someone to speak.
01:39This speaker from the main opposition Kuomintang is upset at the lack of turnout from his colleagues.
01:54But after years of pushing for unions and labor protections, these activists say they've
02:09learned not to expect an enthusiastic response from officials.
02:13Still, they have a message for those in power.
02:39Before the gathering disperses, supporters lay candles on a table to spell out the word
02:43safety.
02:45They hope this small but concrete summary of their demands right outside the legislature
02:49will leave an impression on those inside, and win them the labor rights they seek before
02:54the next accident.
02:56Patrick Chen and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.