Dozens of university professors yesterday staged a sit-in outside the legislature throughout the day to protest against the pending Teachers Compensation Act (教師待遇條例), saying that the bill would slash wages for professors at private institutions by more than half.
The protesters said that Article 17 of the act would free private institutions from the obligation of providing monthly academic research fees to professors at the same level as professors at public universities.
They called the proposed bill the “29k Act,” in reference to their reduced wages.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The act is set to go under its second review today.
Assistant professors typically start on a base salary of NT$29,345 and academic research fees of NT$39,555, for a combined monthly wage of NT$68,990.
In an expression of defiance against the proposed bill, two professors from the Taiwan Higher Education Union (THEU) had their heads shaved.
The two professors — THEU Secretary-General Chen Cheng-liang (陳政亮), who teaches at Shih Hsin University, and Fu Jen University professor Ho Tung-hung (何東洪) — said that working conditions at private institutions have deteriorated as declining population growth means fewer students, and schools are seeking new ways to reduce expenses.
The controversial clause, which originally stipulated wages and bonuses for public-school professors also apply to private institutions, had its wording slightly changed to say that regulations “might apply,” Chen said.
He cautioned against a widening gap in resources between public and private institutions.
“If our legislature intends to support such an act, it would mean telling the general public that we intend to confer differential treatment for professors at public and private institutions,” THEU vice president Lin Chia-ho (林佳和) said.
Ministry of Education official Chang Chiu-yuan (張秋遠) denied the union’s allegations and said they were based on a misunderstanding of the proposed legislation.
He added that the act stipulates equal pay for professors at private and public institutions, with schools that violate the act facing fines of between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 per case.
The protesters said they plan to continue their protests today.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to