The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) is mulling amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) that would regulate the hiring of contract workers.
The proposal, which is still under discussion, may exclude the use of contract workers — also known as contractors or temps — in industries that are considered dangerous or concern public safety, particularly the medical, security, aviation, navigation, public transportation and mining industries.
Companies that are permitted to hire contract workers may be required to go through a registration process that would involve reporting regularly to the council information such as the number of contract workers hired and the ratio of contract workers to the total number of employees.
Council officials are also considering capping the ratio of contractors to employees within a company at 10 percent. However, that ratio could be increased to a maximum of 30 percent if the company obtains agreement from its union, and if the union’s membership comprises more than half of the company’s employees.
The council may may also prohibit the hiring of contract workers as replacements for workers who have gone on strike.
Although the council had earlier said it would propose new legislation to regulate the country’s fast-rising demand for contract workers, this could be seen as the first step toward real action after years of talk about the issue.
However, critics say the proposal is inadequate to effectively regulate the temp workers’ market. Taiwan Confederation of Trade Unions secretary-general Hsieh Tsuan-chih (謝創智) said that in addition to the six industries listed by the CLA that are prohibited from hiring contract workers, the public sector should stop setting a bad example by hiring them.
The 10 percent cap should not only regulate contract workers, but other types of non-typical work as well, such as part-time and interim workers, he said.
Hsieh also urged the council to limit the prevalent business practice of hiring contract workers as replacements for regular employees who take long leave.
He said businesses were using temps as a cheap alternative for workers who do regular or continuous work.
The use of contract workers has become increasingly popular as a means to cut labor costs and preserve workforce flexibility. There are about 200,000 contract workers despite the lack of legal protection of their rights and interests.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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