Council of Labor Affairs Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) is to become head of the soon-to-be formed Ministry of Labor Affairs, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday.
In line with a government reorganization plan, the council will be upgraded to a ministry on Monday.
Pan, 58, holds a doctorate in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University in the US and is an academic-turned-government official.
Photo: CNA
He wrote the labor policy for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) ticket of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) in the 2008 presidential election and later became deputy minister of the labor affairs council.
Pan took over his current post on Sept. 28, 2012, when Jennifer Wang (王如玄) resigned after an uproar over her proposal to raise the minimum wage.
He is planning to push for an occupational injury insurance act, a labor education act and a dispatch workers protection act this year.
In other Cabinet news, the Executive Yuan on Tuesday said that Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Liang Kuo-hsin (梁國新) has been named an adviser to the Cabinet.
The Cabinet will take advantage of Liang’s expertise in negotiations on trade pacts as the nation tries to join regional economic blocs, especially the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership and the ASEAN-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
The appointment came after Liang, 63, said he wanted to leave his job for health reasons, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
Liang will be able to continue making great contributions to the nation while still working for the government, the Executive Yuan said.
At the ministry, Liang was in charge of Taiwan’s talks to sign the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China, an investment protection agreement with Japan and an economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand.
He had previously served as the ministry’s administrative deputy minister, chief of staff to the vice president’s office, head of the economic division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US and deputy director of the ministry’s Bureau of Foreign Trade.
Administrative Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Woody Duh (杜紫軍) will replace Liang, the Executive Yuan said.
Duh, 55, has held several important positions in ministry agencies, including as directors of the Industrial Development Bureau and the Department of Industrial Technology, and head of the Department of Commerce.
Industrial Development Bureau Director Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), 63, is to take over Duh’s position.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS