Separated by a metal gate, unionists yesterday rallied outside the Executive Yuan against the government’s plans to reform labor insurance and pension systems as Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) and his Cabinet members posed for photographs following their resignation as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.
The government has come up with a program to reform the pension system that would decrease the payout to retirees while gradually increasing the premium paid by workers — which would increase to 19.5 percent of a worker’s salary.
“By paying the retirees less and making people who are still working pay more, the so-called ‘reform’ is taking away the protection that the labor insurance was designed to give us,” National Federation of Independent Trade Unions executive director Chu Wei-li (朱維立) said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“It’s unfair that the officials who came up with a reform plan that benefits big corporations while exploiting workers are now promoted to higher positions,” he added.
Chu said he was referring to Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who is to take over the premiership on Feb. 18, and Minister Without Portfolio Kuan Chung-min (管中閔), who is to become the head of the Council for Economic Planning and Development.
Chuang Fu-kai (莊福凱), chairman of the Taoyuan County Confederation of Trade Unions, who has worked for over 30 years and is near retirement, criticized the reform proposal.
“Under the current system, I could lead a decent life in retirement with the retirement payout from the labor insurance,” Chuang said. “It’s upsetting that the government is cutting my payouts while at the same time asking my children to pay more.”
Huang Shih-ting (黃仕庭), a 26-year-old worker, said the reform plans were “robbing money from young workers from two sides.”
“We are to pay a higher premium, but when the payouts for our parents are cut, we will have to provide more money to our parents,” he said.
Chu said that following the official announcement of the reform plan, business leaders urged the government to cut the portion of an employee’s retirement pension shouldered by the employer, adding that it would make it hard for businesses to survive with such a heavy burden.
“Why would they run businesses in China where the employer’s burden is even heavier?” Chu said.
He said that according to the current measure, 8 percent of an employee’s monthly salary would go to the fund for their pensions.
The 8 percent premium is divided into three portions; that the employer pays 70 percent, the employee pays 20 percent, while the government pays 10 percent.
“In China, 20 percent of an employee’s salary is to be paid as premium of labor insurance and it’s fully paid by the employer,” Chu said.
The unions urged the government to fill the financial hole in the labor insurance system by raising corporate taxes, instead of getting the money from the employees.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is aware that Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong has weakened any possible sentiment for a “one country, two systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and has instructed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member Wang Huning (王滬寧) to develop new ways of defining cross-strait relations, Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A former professor of international politics at Fu Dan University, Wang is expected to develop a dialogue that could serve as the foundation for cross-strait unification, and Xi plans to use the framework to support a fourth term as president, Nikkei Asia quoted an anonymous source
LUCKY DATE: The man picked the 10th ‘Super Red Envelope’ in a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10 A man who recently broke up with his girlfriend won a NT$1 million (US$32,929) prize in the “NT$20 million Super Red Envelope” lottery after picking a card based on the date of their breakup, Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The man, in his 20s, bought the 10th ticket at a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10, the store owner told the lottery company. The “Super Red Envelope” lottery was a limited offering by the company during the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended yesterday. The cards, which cost NT$2,000 each, came with
A senior US senator on Monday questioned the willingness of some US allies to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) expects the US and Japan to respond in a war in the Taiwan Strait, he was “a little less confident what our other allies would do,” US Senator John Cornyn said. Australia and New Zealand have voiced support for Taiwan, but it “is a far cry from committing troops to repel an invasion,” Cornyn said during a discussion on China, Russia and the state of US military readiness at a forum hosted
TOURISM BOOST: The transportation system could help attract more visitors to the area, as the line is to connect multiple cultural sites, a city councilor said Residents in New Taipei City’s Ankeng District (安坑) said the local light rail system might have a positive influence, but raised questions about its practicality. The Ankeng light rail system, which is to commence operations after the Lunar New Year holiday, would cut travel time for commuters from Ankeng to downtown Taipei or New Taipei City by 15 to 20 minutes, the city government said. According to the initial plan, there would be one train every 15 minutes during peak time and additional interval trains would run between the densely populated Ankang Station (安康) and Shisizhang Station (十 四張). To encourage people to
RSS