The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus today said it plans to raise salaries for military service members to be at least on par with the minimum wage, as it seeks to address a shortage of volunteers.
The change is part of a package of four reforms the party is planning for military salaries.
Apart from the minimum wage increase, the party also hopes to increase the volunteer military service allowance from NT$10,000 to NT$30,000 (US$304 to US$912), raise overtime pay and combat unit allowances, and improve benefits.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
President William Lai’s (賴清德) plan to raise military spending to more than 3 percent of GDP would raise existing spending of NT$640 billion, or about 2.4 percent of GDP, to more than NT$800 billion, KMT caucus secretary-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said.
This hike should also benefit active-duty personnel, she said.
As the armed forces face recruitment challenges, it makes sense to increase salaries and benefits to attract young people to join, Wang added.
There are few volunteers because pay is too low, KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said.
Only by increasing wages can the military ensure that soldiers have enough to support their families while defending the country, Hsu said.
Increasing wages should take priority over arms purchases, she added.
The KMT caucus would propose amendments to the Pay Act of the Armed Forces (軍人待遇條例), the Act of Insurance for Military Personnel (軍人保險條例) and the Veterans Assistance Act (國軍退除役官兵輔導條例), they said.
These amendments would aim to increase wages for conscripts, combat troops and those serving overtime, as well as fully subsidize military insurance premiums and provide educational subsidies for the children of officers, they said.
These proposals would not affect Taiwan’s ability to purchase foreign arms, Hsu said, adding that in total, it would constitute less than 30 percent of the 3 percent military expenditure target.
KMT deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said the Democratic Progressive Party is responsible for increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and increasing the chance of war, making it necessary to strengthen national defense.
Support for military personnel and improving national defense should not be a partisan issue, Wang said, adding that she hopes all parties would support these proposals after Legislative Yuan committee chairs are selected on Wednesday.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
RSS