Taiwan to increase minimum wage from £1 to £1.50 per hour

TAIWANESE PREMIER Chang Chung-hsiung said the minimum wage on the island would be increased from NT$66 (£1) to NT$97 (£1.47) per hour from July 1st. It will be the first increase in a decade.

Chang said the aim was to "protect the livelihood of labourers and maintain their purchasing power," the daily Taiwan News noted.

It is estimated that the change will benefit some 1.41 million "marginal" workers in Taiwan. This includes foreign workers, part-timers, old folk and women, it seems.

Employers had been protesting against the hike, pressing for a five per cent increase. Smaller companies will be handed a subsidy to help cover the increased cost, a spokesman for the Council of Labour affairs said. µ