More than 500 temporary staff from the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI, 健保局) yesterday protested in the rain outside the Legislative Yuan, denouncing a recent decision by the bureau to lay off 800 temporary staff members.
Protesters demanded the bureau make them permanent staff members.
After three hours of mediation between protesters and representatives from the bureau, mainly by DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang (
Bureau officials said they would hold talks with the Central Personnel Administration about incorporating temporary staff into official positions.
After the bureau agreed to delay cutbacks, the protesters gave up their original plan to protest outside the Executive Yuan and Department of Health.
Due to the hasty establishment of the National Health Insurance program in 1995, the bureau said its responsibilities became unmanageable.
The lack of manpower led the bureau to employ more than 1,000 temporary staff members without requiring them to meet the qualifications of public servants.
In 1998, the Ministry of Audit pointed out that the high ratio of temporary staff in the bureau was adding undue expense to the personnel budget and asked the bureau to solve the problem by the end of this year.
"We appreciate the help of temporary staff in the past. But the numbers for official staff is limited," said the president of the bureau, Lai Shu-mei (
"We have tried our best to minimize the number of layoffs."
The ratio of temporary staff members in governmental offices should be less than 15 percent and the bureau exceeded this ratio, said Liu Chien-hsiang (
There are 824 temporary staff in the bureau. The maximum number of temporary staff members who can be retained is around 200, so "more than 500 temporary staff have to leave," Liu said.
Though temporarily calmed, protesters were not satisfied with yesterday's agreements.
"According to the Labor Standards Law, the bureau cannot lay us off as the bureau's workload has not decreased," said the protesters' representative Lu Chi-te (
"Although we do not have public servant certificates, we have worked in the bureau for a couple of years," Lu said, adding that "we enjoy rights guaranteed in the Labor Standards Law."
"The government can't violate the law," Lu said.
Bureau officials also admitted the existing official manpower could not meet the workload of the bureau.
"We think that if temporary staff workers start their own businesses they may be able to take over the bureau's affairs through contracts," Liu said.
Bureau officials said it's affairs would be hived off to private businesses after the part-time workers were laid off.
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
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
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