Newly appointed Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen says he supports raising the minimum wage but warns against raising wages too quickly.
Chen was speaking with labor groups Friday, his first day in his new post. The groups arrived at the Ministry of Labor petitioning the government to raise the basic monthly wage from NT$19,273 to NT$23,500 (roughly from US$700 to US$800).
The new labor minister told reporters he will listen to the labor groups’ suggestions. But he said while he supports raising the minimum wage, the government must also take employers’ ability to pay into account.
"If our basic wage shoots up too quickly so that industry can’t keep developing, it’s just like killing a chicken that lays eggs," said Chen. "In the end, we still won’t have any eggs to eat. We hope that chicken will be able to keep laying eggs and that we can share the eggs to eat. That’s our most important consensus."