Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/05
By: Yang Shu-min and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Economic Affairs Minister John Deng (鄧振中) did not reject on Wednesday a proposal by labor authorities to raise the minimum wage but said business interests were concerned about the timing of such a plan.

The Ministry of Labor is reportedly preparing to raise the minimum wage by 1.5 percent, but the idea drew strong opposition from representatives of Taiwan’s six biggest business associations in a meeting with Deng on Tuesday.

Asked about the issue Wednesday, Deng said the business groups were not totally opposed to raising wages in an appropriate manner, but they insisted that the “timing is very important.”

“Many objective economic indicators such as the consumer price index (CPI) and the unemployment rate have to be taken into consideration when planning to raise the minimum wage,” Deng cited the business groups as saying.     [FULL  STORY]