Sat, Jan 05, 2008 page2

• Farmers protest over insurance

  CRADLE AND GRAVE Farmers' associations said the new system will result in significantly higher fees and fewer benefits. The government rebutted the claims

  • By Shelley Shan / STAFF REPORTER
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  Thousands of farmers took to the streets in Taipei City yesterday morning, protesting plans to incorporate the farmers' insurance program into the National Pension System (國民年金).

  The system is scheduled to be implemented in October.

  Protesters said the council has failed to protect the interests of farmers and called Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) an incompetent leader.

  

  Farmers hold signs reading ``Give me back my coffin money'' as they protest yesterday in front of the Council of Agriculture building in Taipei against a planned change in their insurance program.

  PHOTO: AP

  Chang Yung-cheng (張永成), director of the Taiwan Provincial Farmers' Association (TPFA), said the government had never consulted the association about the potential consequences of implementing the new pension system.

  While the government allows farmers aged 65 and older to stay on the old pension system, those aged 25 to 64 are required to use the new pension system, he said, adding that this has led to discrepancies in coverage.

  "The farmers' insurance has been working well since 1988," Chang said. "Why do they have to kill it when there is no change being made to civil servant and labor insurance?"

  Chang said that each farmer only needs to pay NT$78 in monthly premiums under the old pension system. In return, they are entitled to various benefits such as a NT$153,000 subsidy for burials and funerals, he said.

  However, Chang said that when the farmers' insurance is incorporated into the new pension system in October, the monthly premium could go up to NT$674 and the subsidy reduced from NT$153,000 to NT$86,400.

  Other benefits, including a subsidy for the birth of a child, were canceled, he said.

  A statement issued by the farmers' association further indicated that under the new system, farmers suffer a total loss of NT$12 billion in benefits, not the NT$3.5 billion claimed earlier by vice premier Chiou I-jen (邱義仁).

  Huang Ming-yao (黃明耀), director of the COA's farmers' service department, said the interests of the farmers will never be compromised under the national pension system.

  "The welfare pension for senior farmers (老農津貼) will still be distributed each month at NT$6,000 per person," he said. "Each will still receive NT$20,400 for every newborn he has. And the government will pay the differences in burial and funeral subsidies."

  And to do so, Huang said the government has budgeted NT$8 billion to cover the expenses.

  Huang emphasized that the National Pension System has allocated a fund for family members of deceased farmers, who get at least NT$3,000 per month.

  At a separate setting yesterday, Executive Yuan Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said the government will continue to communicate with farmers on this matter.

  Responding to the protest, Shieh restated the government's position that farmers will receive all of the same rights and benefits after integration with the national pension system that they have received under the farmers' insurance system.

  "Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) made the promise many times that farmers will not suffer any loss as a result of [integrating with] the national pension system and it will not create an extra burden for farmers," Shieh said.

  Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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