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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS