TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — When a cheerleader revealed how little she made at a court hearing on Tuesday (Feb. 27) the shocked judge replied, “It’s not even minimum wage!”
Shaoyen (少鹽) of the FormasaSexy cheerleading group had taken her case to Taipei District Court after failing to end her contract with Dream Entertainment last year, according to a SETN story. The agency defended its position by saying it had spent significant sums on the production of two singles and other items.
The lawyer representing the agency promised to provide evidence of the payments and said the cheerleader had no right to unilaterally end the contract. Dream Entertainment describes its operations as "global entertainment, event management, and talent management."
The judge reportedly asked how much Shaoyen had been paid and was told it was NT$350,000 (US$11,000). This worked out at under NT$20,000 (US$630) per month on a contract term of 18 months.
“It’s not even minimum wage,” the judge was moved to say. “The company does not seem to be very serious about helping her. It would be nice if she could develop better.”
According to the Executive Yuan, as of Jan. 1, the monthly minimum wage rose by 37.3% from NT$20,008 in 2016 to NT$27,470. It said more than 2 million workers have benefited from the government's change of rules.
In response, Dream Entertainment said it wanted to resolve the dispute amicably with Shaoyen but needed authorization to do so.
The judge agreed and called on the lawyers to negotiate privately and on good terms. Afterward, the case will be considered again on April 12.
Shaoyen is popular on Instagram with the account “shaoyenya.” She calls herself a “public figure” and has 134,000 followers, with reels often getting up to 80,000 views.
(IG, Shaoyenya photos)