Lin Hui-kuan (; 17 October 1957 – 26 August 2009) was a Taiwanese labor unionist and politician.

Early career

Lin earned a degree in electrical engineering from

National Taipei Institute of Technology National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT, Taipei Tech; ) is a public university in Taipei, Taiwan. It is a member of the Global Research & Industry Alliance (Gloria) of the Ministry of Science and Technology and accredited by AACSB. Locate ...

. In the early 2000s, he was president of the

Chinese Federation of Labor The Chinese Federation of Labor (CFL) is a national trade union center in the Republic of China. It was founded in 1948 in mainland China, and until the government recognition of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions in 2000, was the sole offi ...

, one of three national labor unions in Taiwan at the time. In this position, he expressed opposition to flextime and boycotted multiple public hearings organized by the

Council of Labor Affairs The Ministry of Labor (MOL; ) is a ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) representing opinions of employees, political and academic circles to review labor policies, laws and regulations, as well as related projects and programs in Taiwan. MO ...

to discuss the topic. Lin staunchly supported a government proposal to mandate 84 hours of work over two weeks, instead of a 44-hour workweek. While serving on a panel convened by the Economic Development Advisory Conference, he fought to maintain a monthly minimum wage, and rejected an hourly wage proposal that was in discussion. Lin attended the Asian regional meeting of the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

in August, the first time representatives of Taiwan were permitted to speak at an ILO gathering. Lin also worked for the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

Political career

Lin accepted a 2001 legislative nomination from the People First Party, and was expelled from the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

. While serving on the Legislative Yuan, Lin retained his position as head of the

Chinese Federation of Labour The Chinese Federation of Labor (CFL) is a national trade union center in the Republic of China. It was founded in 1948 in mainland China, and until the government recognition of the Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions in 2000, was the sole offi ...

, and vehemently opposed a

National Health Insurance National health insurance (NHI), sometimes called statutory health insurance (SHI), is a system of health insurance that insures a national population against the costs of health care. It may be administered by the public sector, the private sector ...

rate increase. New rates took effect in September 2002, and in response, Lin asked union members to pay no more than their previous premiums. In November, Lin said of the Bureau of National Health Insurance, "The bureau is neither honest nor trustworthy." Lin was reelected in 2004 via the party list, and served as PFP caucus whip. He was also named a co-convenor of the Procedure Committee. He contested the Lienchiang County Constituency seat in 2008 against Tsao Erh-chung, and lost. Lin underwent surgery in July 2009. The operation was beset by complications, and he was transferred to

National Taiwan University Hospital The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; ) is a medical facility located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It started operations under Japanese rule in Daitōtei (today's Dadaocheng) on 18 June 1895, and moved to its present ...

, where he died of

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

on 26 August 2009, aged 51. Charges against Lin dating from a 2004 protest were dropped in May 2012, because he had died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Hui-kuan 1957 births 2009 deaths People First Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Party List Members of the Legislative Yuan Expelled members of the Kuomintang Members of the 5th Legislative Yuan Members of the 6th Legislative Yuan National Taipei University of Technology alumni Taiwanese trade union leaders People from Lienchiang County