The Minimum Wage Act (最低工資法) will adequately protect workers, Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) said yesterday after labor groups asked how annual changes in the consumer price index (CPI) would be taken into account when the rate is being decided.
The act, which was passed by the legislature on Tuesday, instructs the Ministry of Labor to convene a 21-member review committee, which is required to meet in the third quarter each year to review the minimum wage and recommend possible adjustments based primarily on CPI changes.
Labor groups, including the New Kaohsiung Confederation of Trade Unions, the Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions and the Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union, on Tuesday said that the law should require minimum-wage hikes to be at least as high as CPI growth.
Photo: CNA
Hsu told reporters that there is no law anywhere in the world stipulating that minimum-wage hikes must not be lower than a certain index and that passing such a law would mean less flexibility when the new 21-member review committee is deciding what the minimum wage should be set at.
CPI growth is a “must” reference, she said, adding that it has been used when adjusting the minimum wage in recent years.
In addition to CPI, 10 other indicators will also be considered, including per capita income, GDP and minimum living expenses, she said, adding that this method would provide workers with adequate minimum wage protection.
Separately, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) also affirmed that CPI growth must be taken into account during adjustments.
The 19-article act largely formalizes and expands on the mechanism the government already uses to adjust the minimum wage.
In addition to introducing how the minimum wage should be adjusted and the establishment of a review committee, the law states that any employer found to be paying its employees less than the minimum wage will be fined from NT$20,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$634 to US$47,580), their names will be published and they have to comply with regulations within a mandated period.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS