Taipei: A labor coalition warned Friday that its members would stage a massive protest encircling the Executive Yuan if the rights of its members were sacrificed during ongoing trade and tariff negotiations between Taiwan and the United States.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Taiwan Labor Action Coalition in Response to Tariff Impact, founded on June 17 by members of about 70 labor groups in Taiwan, criticized the government for insisting on "closed-door negotiations." The coalition expressed concerns over the lack of substantive communication with labor groups during the negotiation process.

The coalition feared that the government might have already made a secret deal with Washington that could potentially undermine the interests of Taiwanese workers, as labor groups have not been part of the discussions. This apprehension stems from U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on April 2 of "reciprocal" tariffs on several countries, including a 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods, which was paused for 90 days for negotiations.

With the 90-day pause ending on July 9, the coalition highlighted that the Executive Yuan recently announced "constructive progress in the trade negotiations" without providing any details. The coalition emphasized that the right to work is essential for workers and their families, and they would not tolerate having this right compromised in secretive negotiations.

The coalition warned against accepting any conditions that might severely harm domestic industrial workers without prior communication or discussion with labor groups. They also opposed the government's suggestion of "subsidies" as part of the U.S. tariff support package, urging for substantive measures to ensure the continuation of work in their original industries.

According to Cabinet Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin, in a press release from April 21, the NT$88 billion support package aims to provide subsidies to workers in designated industries affected by reduced hours or furloughs.