Not Raising Salaries But Permitting Moonlighting: the Government Will Lose Competence

  Not Raising Salaries But Permitting Moonlighting: the Government Will Lose Competence

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

July 22, 2017

 Translation of an Except

Since the Legislative Yuan (LY) passed pension reforms, negative emotions have been expanding among civil servants and public school teachers, both active and retired, when facing the dual impact of delayed retirement and reduced pensions. In the short-run, the morale of civil servants and public school teachers has plummeted, and in the long-run, recruitment of new blood is facing difficulties. When these sequelae began brewing one after another, the Cabinet may have no feelings, but the Ministry of Civil Service under the Examination Yuan (EY) has begun feeling anxiety! First, some members of the Examination Yuan urged an agency under the EY to arrange the related education programs for asset management as soon as possible; later, the Ministry of Civil Service also indicated that it would examine the “Civil Servants Service Act,” conditionally easing moonlighting for civil servants. All these are measures attempting to remedy the harm already done, and the motives may be good-intentioned; however, apparently, the efforts are misdirected.

The military, civil servants and public school teachers are the bedrock of the stable operations of society; their important characteristic is "permanent and professional.” In other words, their jobs and salaries are guaranteed for life. The government of every country in the world, even the poorest and the most chaotic in political operations, we believe, will do its utmost to safeguard the jobs and livelihoods of civil servants and public school teachers.

Instead of easing regulations for civil servants to moonlight, it would be better to directly give them a pay hike. Taiwan has plunged into a quandary of low pay for as long as 18 years. To give civil servants and public school teachers a pay hike will be conducive in attracting talent; if private enterprises want to compete with the government in recruitment, they will have to offer higher salaries, thus, raising the pay scale of private enterprises’ salaries. When salaries as a whole are raised, the long-term predicament of Taiwan's low salaries will immediately be solved. Taiwan's private sector consumption is weak, and the growth rate hovers around only 1.8%; when the overall salaries in society are raised, consumption will definitely increase, which will be conducive to the elevation of economic momentum. For this reason, many financial/economic experts have long advocated that the government should spearhead the raising of salaries.

Instead of allowing civil servants and public school teachers to moonlight, it would be better to raise the salaries of civil servants and public school teachers. The government, indeed, ought to ponder this in earnest.

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