Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) yesterday said that rises in both the hourly and monthly minimum wages were expected to be implemented in the third quarter of this year.
The current monthly minimum wage is NT$18,780, with a minimum of NT$103 per hour.
In response to continuing commodity price increases, the council proposed raising the hourly minimum wage to NT$115 in the third quarter of this year.
The revised amount for the monthly minimum wage remained undecided and would be deliberated in a minimum-wage adjustment meeting, Wang said during a visit to the Linluo (麟洛) fruit and vegetable market in Pingtung County.
The council’s proposed increase in the hourly minimum wage to NT$115 is part of efforts to provide assistance to the nation’s young part-time workers, as well as women seeking a second career, Wang said.
Some companies based in Pingtung County pay low salaries that barely reach the monthly minimum wage and employment is often a problem there.
In light of this, Wang urged the nation’s domestic businesses to offer workers higher remuneration to reflect high commodity prices.
Responding to a question about the likelihood of implementing a separate policy to deal with the difference in the minimum wage for local workers and that of foreign workers, Wang said the chances were low.
Only countries or territories such as Hong Kong and Singapore have managed to maintain distinct wage standards for domestic and foreign workers, she said, but only under a precondition that neither of the two had basic salary regulations.
She said that when adding up salaries for foreign workers in the above mentioned two countries with their stipulated employment stability levy, the sum was almost the same as what was paid to foreign workers in Taiwan.
If Taiwan were to stipulate a separate policy to divide minimum wages for local and foreign workers, it would likely be deemed the country was engaging in foreign labor abuses, Wang said, and it could become subject to international sanctions.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source