Asustek, a company that has around 9,500 employees in Taiwan alone, is looking to reduce costs. By reducing costs, they of course mean firing a lot of people. Those employees facing job cuts aren't too happy about that, and are demanding that their severance package should they be laid off be increased. Interestingly enough, Asustek already offers what Taiwan requires:
Asustek, which plans to lay off 500 employees from its manufacturing department in Taiwan, has offered a severance package more than the average required by Taiwan's labor laws, but the protesters were asking for more, the paper said.
Then again, outdated laws often guarantee outdated terms. The employees are protesting in front of the company headquarters. The company plans a labor shift from manufacturing to R&D, but at the same time will be slicing significant numbers of employees out. With a much heavier focus on R&D, they are likely looking to capitalize on their recent investment into Gigabyte.