Labor groups call for unionization thresholds to be lowered

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) Labor advocates on Wednesday called for reforms to make unions easier to organize in Taiwan, arguing that stronger collective bargaining is needed to tackle persistent low pay among young workers beyond annual minimum wage increases.

Speaking at a news conference in Taipei marking World Day for Decent Work, Taiwan Labour and Social Policy Research Association Executive Director Chang Feng-yi (張烽益) said Taiwan's unionization rate among employees has long remained below 10 percent, citing structural barriers including the 30-person threshold for forming a union.

"The threshold for workers to join unions is high, and the risks they face are also high," Chang said.

Chang proposed moving toward a more pluralistic union system in which a union receiving majority support from workers could obtain collective bargaining rights.

Taiwan Labour Front Secretary-General Yang Shu-wei (楊書瑋) told CNA that one proposed change would be to allow outside industrial and professional unions to enter workplaces to recruit members, a practice he said is permitted in some other countries but not in Taiwan.

He also said that although starting salaries for young workers had gradually risen in recent years, much of that improvement had resulted from minimum wage increases.

Taiwan's monthly minimum wage currently stands at NT$29,500 and will rise to NT$30,900 from Jan. 1, 2027. The MOL generally defines young workers as those aged 15-29 in its labor statistics.

"Companies need a mechanism for systematic wage increases. This cannot be addressed solely through minimum wage increases," Yang said, pointing to greater wage transparency as one way to support regular pay raises.

Ministry of Labor (MOL) data cited at the event showed that 17.2 percent of first-time employees in 2025 started at the then-minimum monthly wage of NT$28,590 (US$897), while the median monthly salary among all first-time employees was NT$36,000.

Yang said unions could also help workers negotiate pay raises, but noted that Taiwan faced a more fundamental problem than some countries, where unions existed but younger workers might be reluctant to join them.

Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴), a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also urged the MOL to raise the current NT$40,000 monthly salary threshold below which employers are required to disclose a salary range in job postings, saying the threshold should increase as the minimum wage rises.

MOL response

In a statement issued later Wednesday, the MOL said the Labor Union Act guarantees workers the right to organize and join unions, adding that workers at companies with fewer than 30 employees can join with other workers to form, or join existing, industrial or professional unions.

The MOL added that it will review relevant union rules after the Taiwan-U.S. Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) completes the necessary approval procedures, including gathering views from stakeholders and consulting labor and employer groups. The agreement includes provisions on strengthening labor rights and rules concerning thresholds for forming unions, according to the ministry.

On wages, the MOL said it is studying amendments to raise the current NT$40,000 salary threshold below which employers must disclose pay information in job postings, with the new threshold potentially set at "a certain multiple of the minimum wage."