Labor council proposes NT$6 hourly wage increase

BURDEN:Labor groups panned the council’s statement that the increase would help workers, especially with the power rate hike in October potentially pushing prices up

By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

A group of laid-off workers stage a protest in front of the Council of Labor Affairs in Taipei yesterday, calling on the council to withdraw its lawsuits against them.

Photo: CNA

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) yesterday proposed that the minimum wage should be increased next year, starting with the hourly rate.
The council’s minimum wage review committee recommended that the hourly wage be increased from NT$109 (US$3.6) to NT$115 starting on Jan. 1.
This should be followed by an increase in the minimum monthly wage to NT$19,273, from NT$19,047, effective on July 1 next year, it said.
The proposals have to be approved by the Cabinet before they can be implemented.
However, the proposed increases come with a condition: The committee will not hold another wage review meeting until cumulative annual growth in the consumer price index (CPI) reaches 3 percent or higher, CLA Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) said.
Labor groups slammed the condition, saying that based on historical data, it would take at least two years for cumulative CPI growth to reach 3 percent or higher, which means the wage review committee would not likely be summoned for another meeting for three years.
Pan said in response that it is a decision that has to be made in the future and the council cannot answer theoretical questions.
The council estimated that more than 1.76 million workers, including 240,000 foreign laborers, would benefit from the wage adjustment plan next year, while public and private employers would see an annual increase of about NT$3.7 billion in expenditure (including wages and insurance payments).
Taiwan Labor Front said the proposed wage increase would not alleviate the pressure on workers at all, especially with the planned electricity rate hike in October potentially pushing prices of everyday goods higher.
The group also questioned the legitimacy of the council’s decision to not convene the minimum wage review committee unless CPI growth reaches or exceeds 3 percent.
The legal basis for the committee stems from the Regulations for the Deliberation of Basic Wage (基本工資審議辦法), which states: “The minimum wage review committee should on principle convene in the third quarter of every year to review wages,” the group said.
National Taiwan University student union secretary-general Kenny Lin (林凱衡) said that more than 1.2 million Taiwanese workers — predominantly younger workers — only receive a monthly income of NT$20,000 to NT$25,000.
“This is a problem President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration must resolve, and the first step to resolving such a situation is to raise the minimum wage,” he said.
Additional reporting by Lee Yu-hsin

Wisteria Tea House Talk Article

永遠在野的環運老兵 (An Old Taiwanese Environmentalist [Socialist] Fades Away) [Mandarin Only]

永遠在野的環運老兵 2013-08-16

◎ 釋昭慧 與社運老友粘錫麟先生久疏音問，今日趕完一篇稿債，晚間喘息方定，入睡前以手機上網瀏覽臉友動態，竟從媒體驚聞：社運老友粘錫麟先生粘老業已於八月七日溘逝！哀悼之餘，敬誌數語以追憶故友！ 與粘老結識，是在台灣社運狂飆的民國八○年代。他的草根環運，屢屢力挽狂瀾，捍衛台灣環境，可說是戰功彪炳！ 在那個年代裡，台灣社會的政運當紅，民眾對政運期盼甚高，因此資源大都流向政運。相形之下，社運沒錢、沒人，有的只是少數人對社運理念的一腔熱血。社運也成了變相的政運人才培育所——好不容易訓練出來的人手，轉眼已換跑道玩政治去了；有的則出國深造而轉入學界。然則社運之路，「路長人困蹇驢嘶」，可以一路走來始終如一，可以「無恆產而有恆心」，可以「憂道不憂貧」者，誠屬鳳毛麟角。而粘老，就是那極其罕見的「鳳毛麟角」！ 有一回與粘老及蔡建仁老師在台北餐敘，座中相談甚歡，莫逆於心！兩位先生在講到台灣政黨時，慨乎言道：「台灣沒有真正的『左派』，兩黨都是極右派！」而我則在粘老身上，看到了真正的「左派」典範！ 他當時還有一句經典名言：「社運這一行，往前看，視茫茫（做到垂垂老矣）；往後看，冇半郎（沒半個人前來接棒）。」短短兩句，十分傳神！ 爾後政黨輪替，粘老果真挺立「永遠的在野」，踽踽獨行於燈火闌珊處！在髮蒼蒼而視茫茫的晚年，他還成立「綠色主張工作室」，繼續為環運而奮戰不已。 但台灣的大環境丕變，兩度政黨輪替，換誰上來都一樣，依然是巧取豪奪的金權政治！它的好處是：讓民眾視政治明星為「救世主」的夢想，徹底幻滅了。那些年在選舉操兵中節節升溫的政運熱，也就此而大為冷卻！ 然而社運處境並未因此好轉，反倒是產、官、學、媒合作無間，身手愈趨細膩、綿密，社運的對手不必然是軍、警鐵桿，而是產、官、學、媒共同織造而厚實無比的海綿牆。 鐵桿即便再硬，還有拔山倒海的民氣可用，足以讓它應聲掰斷；海綿牆才真是可怕至極，它讓社運人宛若「大戰風車」的唐吉訶德，其身影不再悲壯，而是突梯滑稽！為了不被海綿牆悶死，社運人紛紛轉型，此中範例，即是中青代社運奇葩何宗勳——多才多藝搏媒體，快快樂樂做社運！ 新世代的社運人，已經罕見上一世代的政治悲情。然而正因為粘老還是「上一世代社運人」，我在他那踽踽獨行的身影裡，依然可以看到「忍見國在山河破」的澎湃悲壯——不禁聯想到卓絕、孤傲的陳玉峰，那同樣熟悉的身影！ 想起麥克阿瑟將軍的名言：「老兵不死，只是逐漸凋零！」老兵的肉身當然會死，但老兵只要活著一天，永遠會為理念而奮戰不已，戰到生命凋零的最後一刻！ 而粘老，就是這樣一位老兵：環運沙場放馬奔騰，志在「馬革裹屍」，不求「壽終正寢」！ 粘老，粘老，淨土道上一路好走！但念在人天長夜，眾苦方殷，請您稍事休歇，去去就來！ （玄奘大學宗教學系教授兼文理學院院長）

自由電子報 版權所有 不得轉載 © 2013 The Liberty Times. All Rights Reserved.

More than 1,000 gather for Miaoli rally 守護苗栗 千人站出來 (bilingual)

More than 1,000 gather for Miaoli rally -

守護苗栗 千人站出來  (Mandarin afterwards)

By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter, in MIAOLI

 

Protesters attend a rally in front of the Miaoli County Government last night to protest the forced demolition of private homes in the county’s Dapu Borough.

More than 1,000 people from around the nation yesterday rallied in front of the Miaoli County Government to protest the forced demolition of private homes in Dapu Borough (大埔) as well as development projects across the county.
“[Miaoli County Commissioner] Liu Cheng-hung [劉政鴻], step down!” “We, the people of Miaoli, are ready!” “We will tear down the government today!” the crowd chanted during the rally, as those affected by the county’s development projects and activists condemned the county government and the county commissioner.
“I am sorry,” Yeh Min-hui (葉敏慧), a resident of the county’s Houlong Township (後龍), told the crowd. “I would like to apologize because I am from Houlong, and Liu is also from Houlong. I am sorry that Houlong raised such a horrible person, but we’re also very ashamed of him.”
Yeh said that much of the land near the site of the Miaoli high-speed rail development project has been appropriated by the county government, with many houses demolished. However, the houses of Liu and his family are still standing.
“If you [Liu] can keep your house, why can’t others keep theirs too?” Yeh asked.
She also panned Liu for saying that people from outside of Miaoli should not involve themselves in the protests.
“Whether you are from Miaoli or from elsewhere, we are all Taiwanese. We all love this nation and we will protect it from inappropriate development projects,” Yeh said.
Li Teng-hsin (黎登鑫), a college professor from Miaoli County’s Sihu Township (西湖), said Liu was forcibly appropriating farmland.
“Liu always insists that he is acting according to the law, but no law enjoys a higher status than the Constitution, which protects people’s right to survival,” Li said. “Farmland is the most important thing on which farmers depend for a living.”
Liao Pen-chuan (廖本全), an associate professor at National Taipei University’s Department of Real Estate and Built Environment, said the rally was fully justified as local and central governments have lost their legitimacy.
“We’re fully justified to protest, because the governments — whether on the local or central levels — have lost their legitimacy,” Liao said. “We’re fully justified, because we are defending the rights of all people in Taiwan.”
“We want to tell those in power that the pain of the people, the land and the environment in Miaoli is the pain of us all,” he said.
The demonstrators also held a mock funeral for Liu, hoping to bid farewell to the county commissioner.
Despite Miaoli County authorities turning down applications for the rally, more than 1,000 people still turned out to vent their anger toward the county government’s forcible demolition of private homes and expropriation of farmland for development projects.
Unable to stop the rally, the county softened its stance and allowed it to run until 8pm.
However, the protest lasted to 9:30pm under police surveillance, and afterward, demonstrators planned small-scale protests at Liu’s residence and other locations in Taipei and Miaoli.

守護苗栗 千人站出來 2013-08-17

〔記者張勳騰、彭健禮、蔡政?、李欣芳／綜合報導〕捍衛苗栗青年聯盟、守護苗栗大聯盟申請路權雖被駁回，但「拆政府．護苗栗」音樂會昨晚仍如期在苗栗縣政府前舉行，近千名民眾聲援大埔四戶，藝文界力挺，還有民眾裝扮成師公，詛咒：「如果劉政鴻收紅包，全家死光光。」現場紙錢滿天飛，部分群眾散會前拿出雞蛋，蛋洗縣府表達不滿，衝突中一名警察被蛋殼刺眼送醫。 群眾丟雞蛋傷警 青盟發聲明致歉 捍衛苗栗青年聯盟晚間亦發表緊急聲明，為群眾丟擲雞蛋，卻波及現場員警，造成一名員警受傷送醫，主動表達歉意，並將探視員警及負起應負之責任。但他們亦要求苗栗縣長劉政鴻早應面對自救會的訴求，而不是將警察推到第一線承受民怨。 見證歷史 客家歌手黃連煜︰難得一見 昨天傍晚，陸續有聲援民眾湧入苗栗縣政府前，現場民眾不時高喊「劉政鴻下台！」「劉政鴻踹共！」客家歌手黃連煜說，這麼多人出現在這裏見證歷史，是百年難得一見，他不太會講話，所以用歌曲表達他的抗議，隨後高唱「原諒我，阿公太（客語為祖先之意）」 等客家創作歌曲，獻給大埔被強拆戶。 前苗栗人權促進會成員林青松，裝扮成師公，手拿搖鈴，批評劉政鴻是「紅包家族」，現場紙錢滿天飛。劉政鴻與縣府對此都不回應。 昨晚音樂會提出五項訴求，要求劉政鴻道歉認錯，賠償強拆損害；大埔四戶地歸原主，回復尊嚴生活；檢調單位徹查劉政鴻任內所有土地炒作不法情事；苗栗縣籍立委立刻重啟土徵條例修法；修法完成前，縣府立刻停止所有土地徵收程序。 參加音樂會的聲援民眾並高唱改編自電影「悲慘世界」主題曲台語版「你敢有聽著咱唱歌」，將「天賜良機」紙牌覆蓋在寫有「豺狼」字樣的「劉的遺照」上，象徵蓋棺入土。 昨晚音樂會過程平和，但晚間十點接近尾聲時，主辦單位將事先放置紙箱內的雞蛋分送群眾，並無預警地轉身面向縣府辦公大樓丟擲，頓時雞蛋、紙錢滿天飛。站在縣府前蒐證的多名員警被砸中，其中苗栗警分局偵查佐張世雄右眼球遭破碎蛋殼刺入，轉往台中榮民總醫院醫治，劉政鴻隨後也前往探視。 苗栗警方表示，警方以柔性、理性的方式執勤，很遺憾主辦單位出現不理性行為，共十五名員警被雞蛋砸中，一台攝影機被砸毀，將依法追究相關刑責。昨晚警方開出一張違反道路交通管理處罰條例罰單，將處一千二百元以上、二千四百元以下罰鍰，違反集會遊行法部份，事後將函送法辦。

自由電子報 版權所有 不得轉載 © 2013 The Liberty Times. All Rights Reserved.

Thousands take to streets for Hung

CALL FOR CHANGE:：The demonstrators made three demands, including a Special Investigation Division probe into army corporal Hung Chung-chiu’s death

By Rich Chang / Staff reporter, with agencies
Sun, Aug 04, 2013 - Page 1

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei yesterday to protest the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), who allegedly died from abuse while serving in the military.

Singing a Taiwanese version of the revolutionary song Do You Hear the People Sing? — one of the songs from the musical Les Miserables — white-clad protesters rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, demanding that the military reveal the truth about Hung’s death and calling for the government to push for better protection of human rights in the military.
The demonstration was held on the eve of Hung’s funeral and attracted 200,000 people, according to event organizer and activist group Citizen 1985. Police estimated the crowd as numbering 110,000.
The group had previously said that it hoped “to attract 100,000 people to the rally to bid Hung farewell and push the government to investigate the case impartially.”
Among other appeals made by the demonstrators were calls for the Special Investigation Division to immediately launch a probe into the case, a review all similar cases reported in the past and the passage of legislation to allow service personnel to be tried in civilian courts in peace time rather than by court-martial.
Hung, a National Cheng Kung University graduate, died of heatstroke on July 4, following exercises he was forced to do as part of his punishment while confined to detention barracks for bringing a camera-equipped cellphone onto his base on June 28 without permission.
His death, just two days before he was due to be discharged after completing his year-long compulsory military service, has sparked a public outcry, with thousands of protesters holding a rally in front of the Ministry of National Defense on July 20 to demand an investigation.
Military prosecutors have found that some of the defendants held grudges against Hung and had colluded to bypass standard disciplinary procedures in order to subject him to punishment that was more severe than his offense merited.
Eighteen army officers have been indicted on charges of causing the death of a subordinate, impinging upon individual freedom or handing out unauthorized punishments.
All four army personnel detained during the investigation were released on bail on Thursday and Friday, a decision by the military court that the Hung family said it would appeal.
“Thank you everyone for helping us find the truth,” Hung’s mother, in tears, told the crowd, which responded by chanting “Go, go, go” as an encouragement to the family.
“On July 3, I received a call and rushed to the hospital, where the person I saw was not my son, but a body with many medical tubes coming out of it,” she said. “July 3 was the most heart-breaking day of my life. I cannot not believe that my healthy, active son is gone forever.”
“The military told me heatstroke was the reason for [his] death,” she said. “In the month since then, we have waited, but we have not been given the truth, honesty and justice we were promised.”
During the protest, demonstrators shouted slogans and held placards bearing messages such as “We want the truth,” “We want the perpetrators to be punished,” “We want reform” and “The president must take responsibility for human rights in the military.”
“I am mourning for Hung and I want the truth. I hope there won’t be any more abuse and deaths like his in the military,” protester Jenny Tan said.
The demonstrators also projected the Chinese characters yuan (冤, “injustice” or “wronged”) and zhen xiang (真相, “truth”) on the Presidential Office with LED lights.
They also observed a 30-second silence for Hung.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office, which on Friday said there had been no tampering with the surveillance footage of the holding cell where Hung was confined prior to his death, has said it will continue its investigation into whether a military hospital should be held accountable for document forgery and involuntary manslaughter.
The Cabinet called a press conference at 9:50pm in response to the demands.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said the Executive Yuan will establish a commission comprising officials and representatives from human rights groups and civil groups, to re-investigate possible cases of human rights abuses in the military.
The Executive Yuan will also push for the revision of the Code of Court Martial Procedure (軍事審判法) to allow cases of abuse in the military to be reviewed in civil courts in peace time rather than by court-martial.
Jiang pledged the government will spare no effort to investigate Hung’s case to uncover the truth and to thoroughly review the military disciplinary procedures.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan