The Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee yesterday denied allegations that it delayed handling a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) request for access to funds, saying it had to reschedule deliberations because of a mandated labor arbitration between the KMT and party workers.
The KMT applied for access to NT$220 million (US$6.96 million) of frozen funds to pay salaries and bonuses to its party workers, a request the committee pledged to start processing at a session scheduled for yesterday, KMT Director of Administration and Management Chiu Da-chan (邱大展) said.
However, Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) reneged on the promise and rescheduled the session for Monday next week, action that might result in the KMT’s inability to pay its employees their salaries and bonuses, Chiu said.
Committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said that the KMT filed its request to access funds from suspended Bank SinoPac and Bank of Taiwan accounts last month, claiming that it needed the money to pay salaries owed for November and last month.
The committee on Jan. 6 granted the request and expedited the KMT documents, Shih said.
On Wednesday last week, the KMT filed an additional request for access to more of the cash to pay other salaries — owed for September through this month — as well as bonuses totaling NT$220 million, Shih said, adding that it was this second request that the committee chose not to fast-track.
Contrary to KMT claims, the committee was unable to comply with second request, because on Jan. 4 the committee accepted a petition from the KMT workers’ union, which meant a labor mediation had to be conducted by the Taipei Department of Labor tomorrow before the committee can proceed, Shih said.
The committee had no choice but to reschedule the session to Monday next week, Shih said, adding that the delay is in the interests of KMT party workers, because the arbitration would give the committee a fuller understanding of their demands and more ability to protect their rights in future proceedings.
KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) criticized the rescheduling, saying that Koo had “lost credibility” and the decision would bring unnecessary hardship for KMT workers.
Hung made the comments at a fundraising event in Chicago that was held as a part of her tour of the US, where she has been meeting KMT supporters.
By rescheduling the committee put politically motivated attacks ahead of workers’ rights, Hung said.
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