The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) yesterday commended CPC Corp, Taiwan (中油) for setting a good example by launching a “goodwill station” where disabled workers are employed at the gas station.
Under the counseling of labor officials, CPC Corp recently turned its gas station on Taipei's Linsen N Road into a “goodwill station.” The station employs 20 physically and mentally challenged people to pump gasoline, said Chou Hui-ling (周惠玲), a section chief at the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training.
CLA Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) said many businesses were reluctant to hire disabled workers because of concerns they may not be fit for the physical or mental demands of the workplace.
However, “advances in technology have led to the development of many tools to aid the disabled in the workplace, and education for the disabled has also improved, so that many disabled people are now employed in a wide range of positions, from factory operators to janitorial work and computer maintenance,” Wang said.
Both the private and public sector are required to fulfill certain minimums for hiring disabled workers, but some companies have recently come under fire for refusing to comply with the regulations and opting to pay a fine instead.
The Physically and Mentally Disabled Citizens Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法) stipulates that private companies with at least 67 employees must reserve at least 1 percent of their jobs for disabled workers. Companies that fail to do so must pay a fine of NT$17,280 — the minimum monthly wage for a full-time worker.
To encourage businesses to hire disabled workers, the council provides subsidies of up to NT$12,000 per worker per month for 12 months to businesses that hire disabled workers, based on the level of their disabilities.
Businesses that hire three disabled workers receive up to NT$6,000 additionally per worker per month for 18 months to pay for counseling and consultation for incorporating disabled people into the workplace.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS