Tainan Family Education Center Staff Protest Proposed Cuts, Cite Burden Shift

Employees at the Tainan City Family Education Center are protesting a proposed reduction in staff, which would cut the number of full-time positions from four to one. The move has sparked significant backlash, with approximately 60% of the staff signing a petition against the proposed restructuring.

Protesters argue that the proposed cuts violate principles of trust and infringe upon the rights of frontline workers. They are demanding the immediate withdrawal of the restructuring plan, asserting that it unfairly transfers the Tainan Education Bureau's staffing shortages onto the family education center.

Currently, the center operates with a staff of four full-time members and two assistants. However, the proposal includes reducing the full-time positions to just one. This comes after a period where staff have already been reassigned to the Education Bureau, exacerbating existing manpower shortages. The plan to reassign an assistant from the center back to the bureau, while simultaneously reducing full-time positions, is viewed as an unreasonable exchange.

Employees contend that the reassignment of an assistant back to the bureau is merely a return of personnel already on loan, not an addition of new resources. They argue it should not serve as justification for cutting established full-time roles. Furthermore, the plan to assign a teacher to work at the center is questioned, with concerns that a teacher cannot adequately replace the specialized experience of a formally appointed staff member. The center's work, including individual counseling, hotline consultations, and family education promotion, requires consistent staffing and accumulated experience, which frequent personnel changes could jeopardize.