Despite written in black and white in a publication, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) denied that it promised a group of laid-off workers 16 years ago that it would ask their runaway employers to repay a loan given to the workers as retirement payouts, triggering criticism from the public.
In 1997, when several companies — including Lien-fu Textile Co (聯福紡織), Dong-ling Electronics Co (東菱電子) and Fu-chang Electronics Co (福昌電子) — closed their doors without prior notice and their bosses declared bankruptcy, the council assisted the newly jobless workers by giving them retirement payouts using government funds, and promised that it would ask their employers, not the workers themselves, to repay the debt.
However, in recent years, many of these workers have received requests from the CLA asking them to repay their loans, and those who were unable to pay have been sued by the council.
The workers, as well as labor rights groups, have petitioned and staged numerous protests, including paralyzing the rail service at Taipei Railway Station on Tuesday.
On Thursday, some Internet users found a book on the history of the labor movement published by the CLA in 2011, in which Hsu Chieh-kui (許介圭), who served as the head of the council in 1997, was quoted as saying that the council did not intend to ask the workers to repay their loans, but would ask their employers to pay back the full amount.
However, the council yesterday denied that the official publication represents the council’s official view.
“The writing of the book was commissioned to a group of researchers. What it represents are the views of the researchers, as well as reports by media outlets at the time,” a council statement said. “The content of the book represents neither the official view nor the basis on which the government handles the issue.”
The CLA’s response triggered criticism from Internet users.
“If an official publication does not represent the official view, then what is it good for?” a Facebook user called Tsung-ying (蹤影) said.
“Bu it’s written in black on white!” said another Facebook user, Nicole Lin (林凱雯).
In addition to the book, CLA officials were at the time quoted by several newspapers, including the Chinese-language United Evening News and Economic Daily News, as saying that the money given to the workers was to be repaid by their employers, not the workers themselves.
CLA Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) did not respond to the Taipei Times’ request for comment.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
RSS