Artists rallied in Taipei yesterday to campaign for the creation of a trade union to better protect their interests and participate in the country’s social welfare systems.
Tang Huang-chen (湯皇珍), a member of the preparatory panel for the proposed “Art Creators Trade Union,” said that an application for such a trade union was rejected by the Council of Labor Affairs in June, which means artists are not eligible for standard retirement and insurance benefits.
Artists are legally defined as unemployed, which means they will receive a pension of NT$3,000 per month after turning 65, far less than the maximum amount of around NT$9,000 for other individuals without long-term work under the national pension program.
RSS