A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
She went on to say that getting society to pay attention to this issue and changing public perceptions about breastfeeding is more important than the actual passage of the law.
Under the new proposal, mothers would get six months of paid maternity leave and have a right to demand flexible working hours to nurse their child. Employers violating the law could be fined between NT$5,000 (US$151) and NT$100,000.
If a woman is fired because she needs to nurse her child, she would be entitled to half of her monthly wages while the lawsuit is being investigated, and the employer could face up to 30 days in jail or a fine between NT$10,000 and NT$200,000.
Employers would also have to provide a space for mothers to nurse at the workplace.
Offending employers could be subject to fines of NT$10,000 to NT$200,000, which would continue to be imposed if they failed to comply with the regulation within the allotted time.
In addition, both non-profit and commercial organizations would be forbidden from providing free or discount baby formula, nor could they encourage mothers to use it.
Formula producers and dealers would be prohibited from advertising at companies or providing free samples to mothers.
Formula packaging and related advertising would also contain a notice describing the benefits of breastfeeding. Organizations or companies found in violation could be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$1 million.
Although nursing rights are covered under the Gender Equality Employment Law (
They hope that the new law will focus attention on the importance of proper breastfeeding and create a more nursing-friendly environment for mothers.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it