1) One of the top stories from this past week was that Taiwan is set to raise the minimum wage on January 1.
The announcement came after a ministry-sponsored meeting on Thursday. Only two of the seven business representatives invited to the meeting decided to attend due to differing views on workers’ rights.
The labor ministry said attendees reached an agreement during Thursday’s meeting to raise the minimum monthly salary by 5% from NT$20,008 (US$666) to NTS$21,009 (US$700). The minimum hourly wage, to be implemented in two stages, will also be raised slightly from NT$120 (US$4) to NT$133 (US$4.43).
Labor Minister Kuo Fong-yu said that more than 1.62 million laborers, including 370,000 migrant workers, will benefit from the 5% raise.
2) Also this past week, US President Barack Obama said that Taiwan is an example of a flourishing Asian democracy. He was speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos on Tuesday.
Obama is the first US president to set foot in Laos. He was speaking about democracy and the values of human rights during an address at the ASEAN summit. Obama also listed Japan and South Korea as examples of successful democracies in Asia.
3) The Taipei City Government says it has decided for the moment not to terminate its contract with the Farglory Group, which is the builder of the controversy-ridden Taipei Dome. That was the word from Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je on Thursday. Ko was speaking one day after Farglory promised to improve the project’s safety standards to meet the government requirements.
Farglory had completed 80% of the sports complex, but work was suspended in May 2015 due to public safety concerns. Ko said that the government is giving Farglory another chance to improve the situation.
4) And finally this past week, Vice President Chen Chien-jen said Friday morning that relations between Taiwan and the Vatican remain stable. He was speaking at Taoyuan International Airport early Friday morning, where he had just arrived after a trip to the Vatican.
The Vatican is the only European country that maintains formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The vice president made a trip there to attend the canonization ceremony for Mother Teresa.