Taiwan's Civil Servants, Teachers, and Military Personnel May See Pay Raise; Official Optimistic

(Central News Agency, reporter Wang Yang-yu, Taipei, 10th) The salary adjustment rate for military, civil service, and teaching personnel in Taiwan has been 3% or 4% in recent years. Legislators are concerned about whether there will be a pay raise next year. Deputy Director-General Chang Chiu-yuan of the Executive Yuan's Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (D GPA) stated today that based on the data collected so far, "we are optimistic in proposing a salary adjustment recommendation," and they are planning in the direction of a pay raise.

The Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee of the Legislative Yuan today jointly reviewed draft bills on the adjustment of salaries for military, civil service, and teaching personnel, submitted by the Taiwan People's Party caucus and 16 legislators including Kuomintang Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling. Chang Chiu-yuan and others attended to provide explanations and answer questions, but today's agenda only included Q&A.

Regarding the draft bill on salary adjustment for military, civil service, and teaching personnel, Chang Chiu-yuan said that the D GPA has already drafted a relevant bill and submitted it to the Executive Yuan. They are waiting for the Executive Yuan to schedule it for discussion and approval in its weekly cabinet meeting before sending it to the Legislative Yuan for review according to procedure.

During questioning, Weng Hsiao-ling pointed out that one difference between her version and the D GPA's version is that the Executive Yuan should respect the decisions of the Salary Adjustment Review Committee for military, civil service, and teaching personnel and should not arbitrarily change them, emphasizing a return to professionalism and institutionalization. She also mentioned external discussions about whether salary increases for civil servants should be decided by the parliament rather than the ruling party or the Executive Yuan itself.

Chang Chiu-yuan believes that under the current mechanism, the final decision still rests with the parliament. After the Executive Yuan approves the plan, it must be submitted to the parliament for review along with the total budget proposal, and it can only take effect after being passed by the parliament.

Kuomintang Legislator Hsu Yu-chen asked when the D GPA submitted the draft to the Executive Yuan. Chang Chiu-yuan replied, December 2024 (Republic of China calendar 113). Hsu Yu-chen pressed further on why the Executive Yuan's cabinet meeting had not yet reviewed it. Chang Chiu-yuan said the Executive Yuan has many cases to handle, and legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties are very concerned about this case. The D GPA has been in continuous discussion with the Executive Yuan and will submit the case as soon as possible.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun stated that she believes the Executive Yuan's version will certainly not shortchange military, civil service, and teaching personnel and will be carefully considered.

After Fan Yun's questioning, the meeting chair and convenor of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, Weng Hsiao-ling, expressed hope that the Executive Yuan would submit the draft as soon as possible. "We cannot wait another two years for you," she said, indicating that the review would definitely happen this session or possibly the next.

Additionally, legislators from both sides of the aisle also focused on whether there would be a pay raise and the magnitude of the raise. Legislator Chang Ya-lin asked whether it was possible to announce the raise this year and implement it next year.

Chang Chiu-yuan stated that based on the various data collected, "we are optimistic in proposing a salary adjustment recommendation," and they are planning in the direction of a pay raise.

Hsu Yu-chen noted that during a previous question session, D GPA Minister Su Chun-jung mentioned that he would seek an opportunity for a salary increase for military, civil service, and teaching personnel this year and planned to report to Premier Cho Jung-tai in April. She asked about the current progress.

Chang Chiu-yuan stated that the plan would be proposed in June or July. On June 8th, the D GPA, the Ministry of Education, and representatives of civil service and teacher groups held a symposium to exchange views and gather opinions. After that, an evaluation will be conducted together with relevant financial and economic indicators before submitting the plan to the Salary Adjustment Review Committee. Once approved by the committee, the recommendation will be submitted to the Executive Yuan. This will also be coordinated with the timeline for the total budget, with a decision expected by August. (Editor: Zhai Si-jia) 1150610