Several opposition lawmakers yesterday backed a call by the National Federation of Teachers’ Unions for the government to include grassroots representatives in annual reviews of the salaries of civil servants and public-school teachers.
The federation has for the past few years been trying to get grassroots representatives to be included on the committee responsible for reviewing the salaries of military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers, federation president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) told a news conference jointly held by the group and the legislature’s Social Justice and Labor Policy Promotion Association.
However, despite repeated talks with the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration and the Executive Yuan, they have not taken action, Hou said.
Photo: CNA
He urged lawmakers to amend the Public Functionaries Remuneration Act (公務人員俸給法) and the Teacher Remuneration Act (教師待遇條例) to include representatives from civil servants’ and teachers’ groups in government reviews of their salaries and benefits.
Such legal amendments are “urgently” needed, he said.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶), who heads the association, outlined the need for a systematic, legal and transparent process through which the salaries of military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers would be revised.
The salary review committee had concluded that due to the government’s COVID-19 relief efforts this year, there would be no pay raises for military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers, TPP Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) said.
However, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) later said that there would be a 3 percent adjustment, Jang said.
“This is the real problem — no one knows exactly what the mechanism is,” he said.
Without offering good compensation, the government would struggle to attract talent, be it school faculty, civil servants or members of the military, Jang added.
The public should pay greater attention to the labor rights of school teachers, New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said.
For teachers to have a chance to make their voices heard in the salary review committee is a “humble request,” he said.
The inclusion of grassroots representatives in the committee is a “basic right” that military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers in a democracy should have, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said.
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