The Taipei City Government plans to stop providing long-distance transportation subsidies, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, promising to shake up civil servants’ compensation to cut waste and emphasize performance.
“If someone is going to come from Miaoli County to work in Taipei, they should rent a house in Taipei, or find work closer to home,” Ko said.
On Tuesday, he said the city’s policy of allowing workers living as far as Taichung to be reimbursed for a daily commute was unreasonable, adding that some received as much as NT$7,000 (US$220) monthly.
“Presently, in all of Taiwan, only Taipei is still giving transportation subsidies. That is just crazy,” Ko said.
According to Taipei’s Department of Personnel, the national government ceased providing such subsidies in 2013.
Department of Personnel Commissioner Hwai Hsu (懷敘) said that 58,000 of the capital’s 65,000 employees receive a subsidy.
Subsidies formerly covered the cost of train and long-distance bus tickets, he said. Beginning in July, compensation is to cover only two sections of public bus fares, ensuring that only civil servants in Taipei and parts of New Taipei City receive full compensation, he said.
Hwai estimated that subsidies for 17 percent of employees would be eliminated, saving Taipei about NT$39 million this year.
The capital’s salary system is to be reviewed with an eye to tying compensation more closely to job performance, including the elimination of overtime, Ko said.
“What is important is not how long you have been at work, but rather how much you do and how well you do it” Ko said. “Just because you have sat there a long time does not mean you are entitled to overtime.”
Hwai said that workers would no longer have the option of receiving cash for overtime, instead being provided compensatory time off.
He said that the administration hopes to use the savings to fund performance-based bonuses, adding that the move would require approval from the Taipei City Council and the central government.
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