POLICIES
Wage transparency urged
The National Development Council yesterday urged the Ministry of Labor to formally define low-wage workers as those with a monthly salary of NT$31,000 or less as part of a push to promote wage transparency, increase salaries and address the labor shortage. Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said that the ministry is planning to propose the threshold of two-thirds of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s median total salary. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said that the ministry offers positions that meet the definition of low-wage and accused it of hypocrisy for offering low wages and leaning on contract workers.
BUSINESS
Uber acquisition opposed
The Ministry of Labor has formally notified the Fair Trade Commission that it opposes Uber Eats’ proposed acquisition of rival service Foodpanda, officials said on Wednesday. Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan said she does not support the proposed merger and asked to be informed before the regulator begins its review. The ministry would oppose the deal until the delivery platforms and the National Delivery Industrial Union reach a consensus regarding the union’s demands, such as those regarding pay and workers’ rights, Department of Employment Relations head Wang Hou-wei (王厚偉) told reporters. The Fair Trade Commission said that agencies would be consulted when the proposed merger is ready for review. The commission said that it has not been able to begin the regulatory review, as the companies have yet to submit all the required documents.
EDUCATION
Staff member banned
The Taichung Education Bureau on Wednesday said that another staff member, the chief military instructor, implicated in the bullying of a high-school student who killed himself has been dismissed and banned from employment as an educator for two years. The educator — the former head military instructor at Taichung Municipal Feng Yuan Senior High School — was involved in the case of a male student, who committed suicide in February last year after allegedly being bullied by staff at the school for four months. The school submitted an investigation report in June last year, which was rejected. The school reopened the investigation and said the staff members’ actions did not constitute bullying, but were “inappropriate discipline.” The bureau held a review meeting in September last year and decided to suspend the school’s director of student affairs for one year. The student’s parents filed complaints with the assistance of the Humanistic Education Foundation, prompting the school to reinvestigate. As a result, the investigation confirmed that the director of student affairs and the chief military instructor had bullied the student, the bureau said.
SOCIETY
Event traffic discussed
New Taipei City councilors from Banciao District (板橋) on Wednesday voiced concerns about the “traffic nightmare” caused by the annual “Christmasland,” which is to run for 48 days from next month to New Year’s Day. While Christmasland promotes New Taipei City, it is a “traffic nightmare” for local residents, Councilor Shih Yi-yu (石一佑) said. Despite annual traffic plans, congestion persists and the government should consider the impact of the partially suspended Taipei MRT Circular (Yellow) Line, City Councilor Huang Shu-chun (黃淑君) said. The New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department is to announce traffic plans for this year’s Christmasland on Friday next week. Last year, the city government reported 7.62 million visits to the event.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
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