Micron Taiwan labor dispute intensifies as President Lai urges sincere talks
The dispute centers on employee bonuses and profit-sharing, with the union seeking a more concrete system; Micron says it will continue listening to workers’ views.
The labor dispute involving US memory chipmaker Micron Technology’s Taiwan operations remains under close scrutiny. President Lai Ching-te on Thursday urged the company and employee representatives to engage in sincere and constructive negotiations to reach a consensus and prevent labor tensions from affecting the company’s operations and workers’ rights.
According to a Reuters report, the union at Micron’s Taichung plant recently said its members had authorized strike action if necessary. The dispute primarily concerns the company’s employee bonus system, with the union calling for a more concrete profit-sharing plan.
Lai made the remarks on Thursday while attending an event marking the opening of Micron’s new advanced packaging and testing facilities in Taichung. He said he hoped the government and businesses would work together to promote communication between employers and employees. Only by establishing harmonious labor relations, he said, could workers feel secure in their jobs and companies develop steadily.
Micron has about 15,000 employees in Taiwan, which is one of the company’s key manufacturing bases. The company said it has invested more than NT$1.6 trillion in Taiwan and continues to participate in research and development related to high-bandwidth memory (HBM). HBM is a key component in AI servers, and as demand for AI computing grows, the capacity and supply of related products have come under close market scrutiny.
Micron said it values its team members and remains committed to listening to employees and communicating with them constructively. The Taichung plant union said it hoped the company would move ahead with substantive dialogue and negotiations.
Micron Chief Operating Officer Manish Bhatia said at the event that all of the facility’s planned 2027 capacity had already been sold. He also said growth in the HBM market was expected to continue outpacing the overall DRAM industry over the next several years.
Meanwhile, unions in Taichung and Taoyuan are encouraging members to take leave on Oct. 19 to attend a rally in Taipei. The unions said the event would not be a strike. Whether the labor-management negotiations make progress will be an important indicator of Micron’s operations and employee relations in Taiwan.