Transcript presentation

The Organizing and Fighting
Experiences of the Occupational
Disease Victims in Taiwan
Reporter: Huang Hsiao-ling,
Secretary-general of TAVOI
Major Events of Occupational
Disease Campaign in Taiwan
• 1992~1993 Silicosis of mineworker
• 1993-1995 Tunnel disease of the underground
workers
• 1998~now RCA workers
• 1986~2004 Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
(cancer in nose and throat) of printing workers
• 2001~now Karoshi (death due to overwork)
• 2004~now manganese intoxication
Silicosis of mineworker
• campaign: 1992~1993
• Number of workers involved: unknown
• Result: Silicosis is added to the list of
occupational disease as a result of the
campaign. 1998 the regulation of labor
insurance changed, those who has
withdraw from the labor insurance can still
apply for the disability payment.
Tunnel disease o the underground workers
• construction: 1993~1995, campaign: 1996~2000
• Disease: tunnel disease (decompression sickness)
• Results: It's one of the major public construction projects
in taiwan, the city labor bureau is intervene to carry the
investigation.
Taiwanese worker organized to fight for the compensation,
and it took them three years to get the compensation.
Many Thai workers were send back when the symptom
developed, some went home and the symptom develop
later, they didn’t have any compensation at all.
Worker of Radio Company of
America (RCA)
• manufacturing in Taiwan 1970~1992, campaign
1998~now
• Occupation: Electronic industry. The RCA had
been dumping organic solvents into wells and it
caused various cancer and tumor to the workers
and permanent water and soil pollution in the
area.
• Disease: occupational cancer or tumor
• Number of workers involved:
• Employee: 20,000~30,000; 1385 cancer cases,
218 of them died (2002)
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
(cancer in nose and throat) of
printing workers
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1986~2004
Occupation: printing plant of newspaper
Disease: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Number of workers involved: 5 workers
developed the symptom and 4 of them
died.
Karoshi (death due to overwork)
• According to the official recognition
criteria, only “cerebro-cardio diseases”
(like stroke or heart attack) is included,
other disease related to work overload or
stress such as miscarriage, stomach ulcer
is not included.
• The official criteria is copy from Japan and
is not based on the local research.
Manganese intoxication
• Occupation: Electric welding
• Disease: manganese intoxication, the
symptom is similar to Parkinson’s disease.
This case is recognized as occupational
related by the government.
There is no social assistance for the
following medication or living expense.
How does TAOVI help
victims of occupational
disease?
The difficulties we face now
• Doctors’ opinion play the most important role in
the decision process, while victims themselves
or their family members, and their unions can
not even join the meeting to express their view.
• Research takes many years which is too long for
the victims to wait for a conclusion.
• Doctors do not familiar with the labor situation so
they always emphasis on personal factors like
life style or physical condition instead of the
occupational factor.
• The victims have to collect the evidence and
provide it to the doctors by themselves, which is
so difficult that some just give up their cases.
Questions that we would like to discuss with
all the participate here
1.When worker or trade union
has a possible case of
occupational disease, what kind
of assistance can they have
from the government? Is there
anything like funding for
investigation, or researchers
that can help?
2.Who can make the decision
of recognition? Doctors? Is
there any chance for
workers or trade unions to
participate?
3.Is there any assistance
for the victims to cover
their medication or living
expense in the long term?
4.During the recognition
process, what kind of
assistance is available
for the victims?
5.How do you help the
victims when they come
to your organization for
help?