Minimum wage raised, Federation of Industry and Commerce Pan Junrong: Companies should raise wages, but the government should also support industries

Pan Junrong, Chairman of the Federation of Industry and Commerce. (File photo)

[Reporter Lin Jinghua/Taipei Report] Regarding the decision on the minimum wage, Chairman Pan Junrong of the Federation of Workers' Federation said on the 24th that the government deserves recognition for raising the minimum wage to improve the lives of the grassroots and ensure the rights and interests of workers. Moreover, companies are making money, so they should raise wages for employees. However, the responsibility for improving people's lives and happiness cannot be shouldered entirely by companies. "The dividends of AI are not only shared by all people. If the government has money, it should also use the money to support industries."

The Federation of Industry and Commerce pointed out that the minimum wage system is an important foundation for ensuring the basic livelihood of grassroots workers. However, when the government reviews the minimum wage, it cannot only look at the performance of the overall economy. Almost all of Taiwan’s outstanding economic performance recently has been created by AI-related industries. Traditional industries and small and medium-sized enterprises may not all benefit from AI dividends.

The Federation of Industry and Commerce said that if we only look at exports or overall economic data, it is difficult to reflect the operating conditions of different industries. The gap between industries is huge. We cannot assume that each industry has the ability to afford salary increases by just looking at overall economic growth.

The Federation of Industry and Commerce calls on the government to not just look at the overall minimum wage in the future, but to consider the differences between different industries and take into account the affordability of traditional industries and domestic demand industries. This can not only improve workers' lives and protect workers' rights, but also allow all industries to jointly create economic growth and share economic results in a stable operating environment.