ABSTRACT
The system of industrial relations in Taiwan is characterised by a strong state, weak labour and management. Unions and other forms of worker representation suffer increased pressure as the state retreats from its benevolent role in favour of more flexible policies to maintain economic competitiveness in the face of globalisation. Through political campaign strategies, unions and worker representation may be able to voice workers’ demands and raise the consciousness of society. Nevertheless, unions are powerless to defend workers’ rights and interests due to their fragmented structure and a lack of capacity in economic negotiations. Moreover, both labour and management rely heavily on government to resolve problems rather than deal with each other in relation to employment relations matters. A moral state perspective is, therefore, suggested to complement the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC)/Varieties of Unionism (VoU) framework in order to analyse and understand employment relations in Taiwan.
