The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) faces a potential labor conflict in the wake of a new law regulating ill-gotten party assets, prompting the Taipei Department of Labor to demand negotiations between KMT headquarters and the party’s labor union.
KMT employees nearing retirement age are worried that they might not receive their full pensions because the party already owes NT$1.4 billion (US$44 million) to its staff pension fund.
The concerns have been aggravated by the passage of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例), which could freeze KMT assets.
The KMT union has said it would ask for intervention from a government labor agency unless the party demonstrates its sincerity in handling the concerns.
However, even with a union complaint, Taipei’s labor department has issued an official letter to KMT headquarters demanding that it enter negotiations with the union.
The letter angered KMT officials, who criticized it as an apparent attempt to target the party.
“Since the KMT does not owe its workers’ [back] salary, there is no need for labor negotiations. Almost all employers have difficulties maintaining a sufficient pension fund, even in cities and counties administered by the Democratic Progressive Party,” KMT Administration and Management Committee deputy director Lee Fu-chuan (李福軒) said.
Then-president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who doubled as KMT chairman, should have allocated the pension money earmarked for employees who used the old pension system after they were included under the Labor Standards Act (勞基法) in 1994, when the KMT’s assets amounted to NT$90 billion.
“The KMT has always managed to appropriate the necessary amount of money to the pension fund since 1994. However, with the implementation of the act on handling ill-gotten party assets, it will be difficult for the party to liquidate its properties and thus harder for it to deposit overdue money into the fund,” Lee said.
A source familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity, said KMT headquarters began negotiations with retired employees on Friday.
As for a proposal to pay employees five months’ salary in advance amid the possibility of a KMT asset freeze, Lee said that the party dropped that idea as unnecessary after a discussion.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that he respected the department’s expertise and would not intervene with the labor department’s decisions.
Additional reporting by Shen Pei-yao
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS