Sun Yat-sen School, the 800 Heroes veterans’ group, the National Civil Servant Association and other groups yesterday said they would promote a referendum to oppose President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plan to cut pensions for retired civil servants, public-school teachers and military personnel.
To push through its policy on pension reform, the government has vilified the nation’s civil servants, public-school teachers and military personnel, school principal Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) said.
The school and other groups plan to put forward a referendum proposal after the Lunar New Year, which they hope would collect enough signatures to be run alongside the nine-in-one elections at the end of this year, Chang added.
The government should pay the amount promised at the time of hiring, which employees deserve “based on legitimate expectations,” he said, adding that the government’s pension reform should not apply to those hired before the changes took place.
If the government wants to change its contract with its employees, it should hold negotiations, as an employer and employees would be required to do under the government’s draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said.
The potential bankruptcy of the pension fund should not be a reason to cut pensions, Chiu said, adding that those responsible for managing the fund should bear the responsibility of the bankruptcy.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been using its majority to force through all kinds of bills, often disregarding standard procedures, National Civil Servant Association director Harry Lee (李來希) said, adding that since the legislature no longer represents the public, referendums must be used to correct its policies.
Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), a retired lieutenant general and spokesman for the 800 Heroes group, said if the government tries to push through a bill to cut military pensions, the group would consider holding more protests.
Military personnel do not want to fight the government over pensions, but how can a government be so tight-fisted with its military and still expect them to give up their lives for the nation, he asked.
‘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
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern