Legislative caucuses yesterday passed a draft article barring retired public servants working at state-run agencies or foundations from receiving pensions should their salaries at those establishments exceed the minimum wage.
The draft initiated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) targets double-salaried “fat cats,” thereby ensuring fairness in the pension system, DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said during a cross-caucus negotiation to review a pension reform bill.
Citing as an example basic civil servants of the fifth pay grade, Tuan said they are paid a monthly salary of NT$53,340 when they reach retirement age.
They would be able to receive a monthly pension of about NT$41,000, which translates to an income replacement ratio of 77 percent, he said.
If retired civil servants are to receive pensions, they should not accept job offers at state-run agencies that promise them salaries above the minimum wage — currently set at NT$21,009 — adding that this would prevent former civil servants from occupying vacancies at these agencies, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alisha Wang (王育敏) defended the version proposed by KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), which says retired civil servants would be denied pensions if they choose to work for government-funded agencies that pay them up to 50 percent of what they had been paid at their former jobs, allowing them to earn more in retirement.
Tuan disagreed, saying: “The lower the bottom limit, the fairer the system.”
Seeing that no more objections were filed, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) announced that the bill is to proceed to second reading.
Meanwhile, a motion by the New Power Party (NPP) that says civil pensions should be split equally between couples in case of a divorce or when the spouse who worked as a public servant is deceased also proceeded to second reading.
To be eligible to apply, an applicant must have also reached retirement age, the draft said.
Applicants who have been through more than one divorce would only be able to receive their share in relation to the pensions their former partners were paid during each marriage, it said, adding that the rule does not apply to consensual divorces.
NPP Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) said that if passed, the draft would likely benefit housewives who are excluded from the labor and civil pensions systems.
NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that several women’s rights groups have called for the rule to be established since 2005, when the legislature was reviewing drafts on equitable distribution in case of divorce.
However, discussion of the draft had been stalled as lawmakers at the time believed that the issue should be dealt with as part of pension reform, he said.
Huang said the US, Japan and Germany have implemented similar rules and lobbied the caucuses’ support.
The draft gained nonpartisan support, with Su — who praised the NPP for tendering a “progressive” draft — ruling that the draft is to be deliberated in second reading.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be
RSS