NanShan Plaza and a company strike

-
Things are progressing rapidly at the Nanshan plaza construction site in Taipei's Xinyi district. Last year the site was nothing but a massive hole in the ground, but around the clock construction this year has central section of the tower looking to reach 20 floors by January 1, 2016.

NanShan Plaza construction as seen from Taipei 101 in late November.


The building is across the street from Taipei 101, and is slated to top out somewhere around the fifty floor mark. Formerly a farm, and then a parking lot, the construction will at the very least help to balance out the Taipei skyline, and dramatically change the view from elephant mountain. It will be nearly doubly the height of the neighboring Hwa Nan building, and artists renderings show the final product resembling the London shard.


Construction seen Jan 26th, 2016.


Update Jan 2016: The below seems to have resolved itself, and a contact who works at Nanshan revealed that the strike was only for specific job public-facing functions and was not company wide.

Less publicly, at least part of the NanShan employees have gone on strike. They've spent the last week protesting outside the company's offices across from the Taipei World Trade Center. 

Considering the wages for workers in Taiwan, as well as the work hours, it's hard to blame them for wanting better conditions. It seems likely the 28.9 billion NTD payout for the land which the new plaza is being built on had something to do with souring the mood for under paid workers. For reference, most employees in Life Insurance and finance companies will work 10 to 14 hour days. Pay varies greatly, but for these types of firms average pay ranges from 600,000 and tops out around 1.2 million NTD a year. Exceptional talents and top management receive over 3 million NTD a year, but that is approaching the 1% area of all employees. Even if salaries were doubled, then adjusted for cost of living labor in Taiwan is getting underpaid and over worked.




Hopefully the progress, and expected profits, at the Nanshan plaza can help things improve for the people giving it their all for the company behind the welcome addition to the skyline.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gaoliang liquor (高粱酒) and how to make it taste better

-
Image
Gaoliang (高粱酒) is a local sorghum based liquor that is a must try in Taiwan. With a small bottle (2 shots) costing just 50NT the only reason not to at least try a taste is that you don't drink anything with booze in it. Don't be confused though, Gaoliang comes in a range of qualities and prices and the more expensive stuff comes with dated bottles and carry heftier price tags. In Taiwan it is traditionally served into shot glasses where drinkers cheers each other and then drain it off in one go. The less time it spends in your mouth the better, at least for the majority of the world's drinkers. If you've got an iron pallet or you're used to drinking anything sorghum, you're going to LOVE this drink. The rest of you...well, just don't be surprised when you start coughing and grimacing. A gaoliang cup next to a standard shot glass. They hold roughly the same volume. If you've never had it before, Gaoliang packs a wicked punch both in ter...
Read more

Renting a scooter in Taiwan

-
Here's the best practical advice for renting a scooter during your time in Taiwan. If you live in Taiwan and hold an Alien Resident Card: Get a local license when you get here and skip trying the IDL all together. There is a written test, in English, at the DMV and a simple driving test - if you actually know how to drive a scooter - and you can get up to a 250cc machine or e-bike. Now you can rent scooters without an issue anywhere and you're covered by the minimal insurance policy it has! Bonus local ID too. As a Tourist: 2022 Update: Many countries now have reciprocal license agreements with Taiwan. The list is continuing to grow as time goes on, but with few exceptions you'll need a copy of your original license, a Chinese translation, and your passport. The program is intended for short stays Bear in mind when actually acquiring a vehicle you're still far better off holding  an IDL. Here's the link to pdf's about reciprocal licenses Bring your International...
Read more

Taipei Day Trip: BaYan 八煙, its wild hot springs, and low key tourist trap

-
Image
For as long as I can remember people who come to Taiwan have asked about "those wild hot springs in Yangmingshan".  Somehow the idea of soaking in volcanic water in the untamed wilderness appeals to nearly everyone, and there are a ton of blogs written about the experience at Bayan. Perhaps it's the clever name that gets people involved - wild hot springs do sound fun! - but the name tells little of the truth. A better name is "Bayan technically illegal agrichemical waste water often over crowded and full of bathing soaps wading pools", but who would want to waste a whole day going there? Agrichemicals sounds like they make for an uninviting swim, but where do the pollutants come from you ask? Just uphill of the springs - and an area you'll need to pass through if you descend to the springs - is a giant farm which also features a man made reflective pool with a rock garden. As you descend from the road you'll snake your way through the fairly exten...
Read more