The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vows to improve workers’ rights by amending laws that would promote a shorter workweek and a higher minimum wage, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, while calling on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to stop prioritizing cross-strait relations over labor issues.
The DPP legislative caucus has proposed an amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) that would change current regulations defining regular work as 84 hours every two weeks to 40 hours per week, and will push for the legislation of a minimum wage act that ensures workers can enjoy an income necessary to meet basic living standards, Tsai said while attending a religious ceremony in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山).
The DPP also plans to put forth legislation regulating the labor dispatch industry to reduce abuse as part of the party’s upcoming policies aimed at improving working conditions and labor rights, she said.
The Taiwanese workforce suffers from substandard working conditions, including low wages and long working hours, while the legal minimum monthly wage — NT$19,273 — is not adequate for workers to meet their basic needs, Tsai said.
Asked to comment on the likely KMT presidential hopefuls for next year’s presidential election, Tsai — the DPP’s presidential candidate — said it is the KMT’s business to work out its nomination, while the DPP is preparing for next year’s presidential and legislative elections by directly engaging itself with the public.
The DPP must not underestimate the KMT, despite flagging support for the party because of its poor performance, as the KMT still holds abundant resources and a strong grassroots political network, she said.
Asked about the meeting between New Taipei City Mayor and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the annual KMT forum with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Monday, Tsai reiterated that the KMT should know how to differentiate between KMT-CCP exchanges and cross-strait relations.
“Cross-strait relations are not KMT-CCP relations and should not be regarded as such,” she said, adding that manipulating cross-strait issues through the media would only compromise Taiwan’s interests.
That the KMT government was working on cross-strait affairs on Labor Day suggests that it is out of touch with society, and the cross-strait achievements that it has been boasting do not conform with public sentiment, she said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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