Publication Date : 01-05-2013
Despite a worse-than-expected GDP growth rate in the first quarter in Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that the government will stick to its promise of raising the minimum wage.
Industry and commerce groups also expressed support for a wage hike.
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) yesterday adjusted the first-quarter economic growth rate to 1.54 per cent, much lower than an earlier estimate of 3.26 per cent, raising concern that the pay increase may not be implemented.
Six industry and commerce groups expressed support for the pay raise yesterday, including the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI), the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China, the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC), the National Association of Small & Medium Enterprises R.O.C., the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), and the Taiwan Federation Of Industry.
Ma said that both he and Premier Jiang Yi-huah felt that “since Jiang has promised to raise the minimum wage, the policy will be implemented as planned.”
The president said the figure will rise to NT$19,047 (US$645.82) from April, benefiting 1.7 million workers in Taiwan. He said this is the third time the wage has been hiked under Ma. It has risen 10 per cent from NT$17,280 in 2008.
There must be many labourers still not satisfied with the wage and hoping to bring home a bigger paycheck, Ma said. The wage hike was the result of long discussions among many parties, and he hopes that workers will understand the government's efforts and good intentions, the president added.
The minimum wage does not need to increase every year, especially when the economy underperforms, said Lawrence Pen-Tsao Chang, chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China. He said, however, that rules should be set according to different economic indicators, in which case the pay adjustments would only have to be confirmed during yearly meetings, so as not to cause any “bad feelings.”
The minimum wage is a set policy, and whatever the GDP number is, in order to take better care of their workers, companies will accept the pay raise, industry and commerce groups said yesterday.
*US$1=NT$29.49
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