Taipei Times
Date: Feb 05, 2017
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission Minister Lin Mei-chu’s (林美珠) appointment as minister of labor drew a mixed reaction from labor rights advocates yesterday, with calls for her to show independence as the government moves forward with pension reform.

“While I certainly would not say that she has been promoted or gained unfair advancement because she is President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) cousin, I am concerned with whether she would side with workers against presidential directives,” Taipei City Confederation of Trade Unions executive director Chen Shu-lun (陳淑綸) said.

While Lin is a career bureaucrat who served as deputy minister of the interior in former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, that she is Tsai’s cousin has led to speculation that she will be closer to the president than a typical labor minister.

“In protecting workers’ interests, the labor minister often has to engage in a tug of war with the business community and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, so always standing with the president could create problems,“ Chen said, adding that Lin’s response to the government’s proposed cuts to labor pensions would be a key challenge.    [FULL  STORY]