Labor groups yesterday marked International Workers’ Day with a march through Taipei, while groups focused on pushing a higher minimum wage and guaranteed worker pension plans.
Participants congregated along Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building, before marching past the Legislative Yuan — where they unfurled large banners with slogans asking for legislators’ support.
A teachers’ group later held a sit-in protest in front of the Executive Yuan, while brief scuffles broke out with police in front of the Control Yuan.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions director Chiang Chien-hsin (江健興) led attendees in chanting slogans on a stage with participants waving flags and banners representing workers’ groups from various industries, as well as migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries.
Taiwan has done well in the fight against COVID-19, compared with most countries that had repeated lockdowns and business closures, the confederation said in a statement.
Taiwan’s GDP grew 3.11 percent last year, with new highs in the stock market and the GDP forecast to grow 4.64 percent this year after already reaching 8.16 percent last quarter, it said, citing government data.
The prosperity at the top is the result of workers’ blood, sweat and tears, Chiang said.
“Taiwan’s workers made the main contributions to last year’s ‘economic miracle,’ but did not receive their fair share of the benefits. Wage increases lagged far behind economic growth and corporate profits,” he said.
“The government keeps touting Taiwan’s economic performance, yet it is only willing to offer a monthly minimum wage increase of NT$200,” he said, referring to an increase that took effect in January that raised the monthly minimum wage from NT$23,800 to NT$24,000 and the hourly minimum wage from NT$158 to NT$160.
Chiang said that the increases were insignificant, and called for the monthly minimum wage to be raised to NT$30,000.
He also urged the government to increase salaries for state enterprises, teachers and civil servants.
Another problem facing workers is pension security, as the labor pension system is projected to go bankrupt by 2026, the group said.
They urged the government to consult with labor unions in establishing a system similar to the sovereign wealth fund — a state-owned fund supported by revenue from commodity exports, foreign-exchange reserves and other investments — to make sure that the pension scheme does not collapse.
Organizers on stage had food items delivered by Uber Eats and Foodpanda workers to highlight the delegates representing the National Delivery Industrial Union as a new labor force of mostly young people, many of whom were attending the event for the first time.
Arery Chen (陳昱安), an organizer for the National Delivery Industrial Union, said that workers from Lalamove, Gogo X and others were also joining the union.
They have realized the need to band together after the two leading delivery platforms cut pay 10 to 30 percent in March, Chen said, adding that the union is calling for more rights for food delivery workers, as well as improved compensation for drivers injured in traffic accidents on the job.
Additional reporting by CNA
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS