By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporterLabor rights campaigners yesterday protested outside the offices of the Chinese National Federation of Industries in Taipei, criticizing the organization for its opposition to an increase in the minimum wage and extra holidays for workers. “We are here to hold discussions with the capitalists to demand that they stop exploiting workers,” Workers’ Struggle Alliance member Cheng Chung-hao (鄭仲皓) said. The protest was greeted with incredulity by federation secretary-general Tsai Tsung-sheng (蔡總生). “I really do not understand why they are protesting — if anyone should be protesting, it should be us,” Tsai said, estimating that the new minimum wage would increase corporations’ costs by NT$23.3 billion (US$739 million) a year. “They should go to the Ministry of Labor to protest, because it made the decision.”Minister of Labor Kuo Fong-yu (郭芳煜) on Thursday said that his ministry had proposed the 5 percent increase to the minimum wage review committee after members of the committee had failed to reach a consensus.

Source: Taipei Times September 09, 2016 15:56 UTC