Workers at Taiwan snack maker Kuai Kuai extend strike over relocation

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Workers at snack maker Kuai Kuai Co.'s only production facility in Taiwan voted Friday to continue their strike indefinitely following a one-day strike, as a dispute over the plant's relocation and related labor arrangements remained unresolved.

Around 130 members of the Kuai Kuai union, which represents employees at the company's Zhongli factory in Taoyuan, joined the strike, which began at 5 a.m. Friday following an announcement shortly after midnight.

The union said in a statement issued Friday afternoon that an extraordinary members' meeting held after the one-day strike approved extending the labor action indefinitely by "a near-unanimous vote."

It called on Kuai Kuai and the San-Ti Group, which has owned Kuai Kuai since 2019, to begin negotiations as soon as possible.

The strike was initially described by the union as a one-day "warning strike."

According to the union, workers only learned through news reports in July that the land and factory buildings at the Zhongli site, which is more than 57 years old, had been sold to Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASE).

The union subsequently sought talks with the company and applied for labor dispute mediation through the Taoyuan City Government. After two mediation sessions ended without agreement, 94 percent of members backed strike action in a vote held on Sept. 18.

The union has accused management of failing to engage in substantive negotiations and disputed company claims that most issues had already been agreed upon.

It said no agreement had been reached on arrangements for workers during the two-year transition period and after the relocation.

Under the property deal announced in late July, Kuai Kuai planned to immediately lease back the entire Zhongli site from ASE after completion of the transaction.

The west-side factory buildings were to be leased for six months and the east-side buildings for 24 months, giving Kuai Kuai up to two years to complete its relocation.

In response, Kuai Kuai spokesperson Chan Yi-kuo (詹益國) said the company regretted the strike but respected employees' right to take industrial action.

Chan said the two sides had reached agreement on some issues, while discussions were continuing over arrangements for employees who leave the company during the two-year transition period before the relocation is completed.

He added that the company remains open to discussing the union's demands and will continue negotiations.

The Ministry of Labor said it respects the union's lawful exercise of its right to strike and reiterated that workers participating in union activities or the strike must not face "adverse treatment" by the company.

The ministry said the dispute has gone through two unsuccessful mediation sessions and multiple rounds of direct talks, but the two sides have yet to reach agreement on some demands.

It urged the company to negotiate with the union and workers with "the greatest possible sincerity and good faith."

Kuai Kuai is one of Taiwan's best-known snack brands, particularly for its eponymous puffed corn snacks.

Its green-packaged butter-coconut-flavored Kuai Kuai is also a familiar sight in Taiwan's tech sector, where packets are often placed beside equipment in the belief they will help machinery "behave" and operate smoothly -- a play on the meaning of "Kuai Kuai" in Mandarin.