Labor representatives yesterday criticized a Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) policy that grants preferential treatment to civil servants over swine flu.
In anticipation of an expected epidemic of the A(H1N1) flu virus, commonly known as swine flu, the Central Personnel Administration recently announced that civil servants will be entitled to up to seven days leave, of which five days are paid, if they need to take care of children whose schools are closed because of swine flu.
Employees of private businesses, however, are only entitled to unpaid leave under the same circumstances.
If an employee comes down with swine flu because of work, such as with health care professionals, the sickness is treated as an occupational injury and the worker may receive paid leave. However, if a worker contracts swine flu and it is unrelated to work, he or she will only be entitled to up to 30 days of leave at half pay.
Son Yu-lian (孫友聯), secretary-general of the Taiwan Labor Front, criticized the disparity between those employed at government institutions and private corporations.
“Workers are people, too,” he said, adding that they should be entitled to the same rights and benefits as civil servants.
In response, the council said that civil servants were entitled to five days of paid personal leave under current regulations, so the five days they are entitled to are the same type of leave. However, if a private employer tells an employee to take leave even if the sick employee is still able to work, then the employee would be entitled to paid leave.
Also yesterday, Su Ying-kuei (蘇盈貴), chief of Taipei City’s Department of Labor, said that if employers asked civil servants to stay at home on suspicion of a swine flu infection, the workers should be paid for the duration.
In addition, if employees are quarantined by health authorities, their employers cannot punish them on grounds of unauthorized absence, Su said.
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