Civil servants, police and firefighters’ groups on Tuesday joined the National Federation of Teachers’ Unions in calling on the government to include their representatives in a committee that conducts annual reviews of their salaries and benefits.
The salaries of military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers have been increased three times in the past two decades by 3 percent on each occasion, federation president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said at a news conference in Taipei.
The increases come to 9.27 percent, compared with an average raise of 29.1 percent in the private sector, he said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s economy grew by 79.72 percent, he added.
These personnel are underrepresented in the government’s salary review committee, which does not include representatives in low-level positions, he said.
The committee’s meetings are held in a “black box,” Hou said, adding that it is unknown what criteria are used for adjusting salaries.
Employees from lower ranks should participate in the committee so that the salary review process is transparent, and to counter the common citing of financial difficulties as reasons for not adjusting salaries, Hou said.
The Executive Yuan could reform the committee to allow for such participation, Hou said.
Additionally, the work police officers do is not equal to the income they earn, Taiwan Police Union member Hsiao Jen-hao (蕭仁豪) said, adding that many officers are assisting with non-police work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this increased workload is not reflected in their salaries.
An online petition launched by the National Association for Firefighters’ Rights to gain union rights has been signed by more than 30,000 people, association member Sheng Shih-chieh (盛世傑) said.
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