Industry leaders yesterday voiced objections to a second hike in the minimum wage, saying recent legal revisions have seriously increased their burden.
Preston Chen (陳武雄), chairman of the Chinese National Federation of Industries (全國工業總會), said it was reckless for the Council of Labor Affairs to propose hiking the minimum wage again in the absence of supporting measures.
Chen, who owns business interests in chemical and plastics firms, made the statement before a meeting with Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄).
The council pushed through a pay raise in September, lifting the minimum wage from NT$17,280 to NT$17,880 a month, effective this year. Wang has hinted at a second adjustment later this year to reflect the increase in consumer prices.
Wang told a press briefing on Tuesday that the government would consider an increase in the minimum wage because encouraging wage growth is part of its priority to see that local workers benefit from strong economic growth.
She said the economic recovery has improved the country’s unemployment situation, but wages have not shown commensurate growth in the mean time.
However, Chen said the government should think twice before implementing the idea, as the revisions to national health insurance and maternity rules have added to their burdens.
Chen suggested excluding foreign workers from the minimum wage when discussing the issue because they would be the sole beneficiaries. Most domestic workers enjoy higher pay.
Chang Ping-chao (張平沼), chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce, who owns stakes in technology and securities firms, said the government should allow the market to set the minimum wage.
Too much government intervention would serve only to antagonize workers and their employers, Chang said.
Roscher Lin (林秉彬), chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (中小企業協會), it is not necessary to adjust the minimum wage on a yearly basis, as frequent pay hikes will make firms cautious about expansion and hiring.
The Eurovision Song Contest has seen a surge in punter interest at the bookmakers, becoming a major betting event, experts said ahead of last night’s giant glamfest in Basel. “Eurovision has quietly become one of the biggest betting events of the year,” said Tomi Huttunen, senior manager of the Online Computer Finland (OCS) betting and casino platform. Betting sites have long been used to gauge which way voters might be leaning ahead of the world’s biggest televised live music event. However, bookmakers highlight a huge increase in engagement in recent years — and this year in particular. “We’ve already passed 2023’s total activity and
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) today announced that his company has selected "Beitou Shilin" in Taipei for its new Taiwan office, called Nvidia Constellation, putting an end to months of speculation. Industry sources have said that the tech giant has been eyeing the Beitou Shilin Science Park as the site of its new overseas headquarters, and speculated that the new headquarters would be built on two plots of land designated as "T17" and "T18," which span 3.89 hectares in the park. "I think it's time for us to reveal one of the largest products we've ever built," Huang said near the
China yesterday announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9 percent on imports of polyoxymethylene (POM) copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from Taiwan, the US, the EU and Japan. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s findings conclude a probe launched in May last year, shortly after the US sharply increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, computer chips and other imports. POM copolymers can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc, and have various applications, including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment, the Chinese ministry has said. In January, it said initial investigations had determined that dumping was taking place, and implemented preliminary
Intel Corp yesterday reinforced its determination to strengthen its partnerships with Taiwan’s ecosystem partners including original-electronic-manufacturing (OEM) companies such as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電). “Tonight marks a new beginning. We renew our new partnership with Taiwan ecosystem,” Intel new chief executive officer Tan Lip-bu (陳立武) said at a dinner with representatives from the company’s local partners, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the US chip giant’s presence in Taiwan. Tan took the reins at Intel six weeks ago aiming to reform the chipmaker and revive its past glory. This is the first time Tan
RSS