‘100,000 will protest’ gov’t’s treatment of public sector workers

Actors portraying President Tsai Ing-wen, left, and media pundits, right, pour ink over placards in Taipei, Thursday, Aug. 11 in a protest symbolizing what activists say are efforts to slander public servants. THE CHINA POST

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Civil servants, who say that they are being blamed for the government’s growing financial problems, will march in Taipei next month, with activists predicting that at least 100,000 people will take to the streets.

The protest is set for Sept. 3 — Armed Forces Day — and is being organized by the Pension Reform Oversight Alliance, a group set up in response to the formation of a National Pension Reform Committee.

The committee is tasked with slashing government pension spending, and much of its focus has landed on the civil service.

Public servants have responded by claiming that the action constitutes unfair treatment.

Alliance representative Huang Yao-nan proposed the National Pension Reform Committee broaden its remit from focusing solely on the civil servant pension system to include private sector pensions, as well as removing restrictions on labor insurance pay-outs and increasing wages, which are tied to the amount of insurance a laborer can receive.

Representatives said that pension reforms “go hand in hand” with the country’s fiscal discipline.

Deputy head of the R.O.C. Military Academy Alumni Association Wu Shih-huai, a representative of the alliance, said civil servant pension funds were not included in the government’s potential monetary liabilities.

“The country’s possible bankruptcy could be caused by incompetent management of the pension funds,” Wu said, refuting claims that the bankruptcy was caused by civil servants receiving the pension.

“But, it’s something that the government is not willing to admit.”

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National Civil Servant Association Director Lee Lai-hsi, an outspoken member of the National Pension Reform Committee, supported Wu and laid blame on the government.

After eight committee meetings, the claim that the public sector was the main reason for the government’s debt problems have become a mainstream belief, Lee said.

He added that the claim was a source of pressure for civil servants, according to Lee.

“The claims are untrue,” he said, adding that the committee’s work had only served to turn the public against civil servants.

The protest would be the first mass demonstration of Tsai Ing-wen’s presidency and would be the first in the history of Taiwan to be led by civil servants, the alliance said.

Alliance representative Wu Shih-huai, the deputy head of the R.O.C. Military Academy Alumni Association, said that at least 30,000 military officials and veterans were expected to participate in the protest.

“The media and political pundits have continued to slander public servants, which is why we are coming out to protest,” Wu said.

Representatives of public school workers said that efforts to rally teachers were still underway and that momentum would likely pick up after the summer vacation. Private-sector workers are also expected to participate in the protests.