President Ma Ying-jeou has lauded Taiwanese laborers’ contribution to the nation’s economy. Ma praised Taiwan’s workers while receiving some model laborers on Friday during an International Workers’ Day ceremony.
During the ceremony, Ma said that when he took office in 2008, Taiwan’s economy was hit by the Global Financial Crisis. But he said the government had workers’ best interests at heart. Ma said that through supporting banks and corporations, the government was able to improve workers’ welfare.
The president said that his administration has raised the minimum wage four times since he took office, and will be raise the minimum wage again starting in July. Monthly wages have been raised by 16% while hourly wages has been raised by over 20%. Ma said that his administration has also implemented many policies to help workers in Taiwan enjoy better lives.
Ma said that laborers are the backbone of Taiwan’s economic development and Taiwan’s economic miracle was built with laborers’ hands and brains. The president said there can be no economic development without laborers’ hard work.