Amid criticism that the widespread use of dispatch workers is a major cause of the nation’s wage stagnation, Minister of Labor Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) on Thursday said that government agencies should set a good example and bar the use of such workers.
Dispatch workers are people hired by employment agencies and contracted out to organizations for varying lengths of time. They represent a source of cheap and flexible labor for employers, but critics contend that the system is being abused and the workers do not get standard benefits guaranteed by law.
Pan suggested that government agencies stop filling jobs through employment agencies and gradually fill them with contract workers, who are protected by the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
The ministry is promoting a law stipulating that the number of dispatch workers should not exceed 3 percent of a company or a government agency’s work force.
However, the large number of dispatch workers in government agencies has become an excuse for business groups to oppose the restriction.
The Executive Yuan allows its affiliated agencies to use a maximum of 15,514 dispatch workers. The number of such workers totaled 10,296 people in the final quarter of last year, making government agencies one of the largest users of dispatch workers.
The Council of Agriculture was the central government agency using the most dispatch workers — 2,754 people — according to official statistics.
Coming in second was the Ministry of Economic Affairs with 2,265 people, followed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare with 978.
The council said it mostly used dispatch workers to fill a shortage of field-survey staff, while the economics ministry said most of its dispatch workers were working at state-owned enterprises.
In response to Pan’s proposal, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Deputy Minister Chang Nien-chung (張念中) said it would be difficult to bar the use of dispatch workers in government agencies because of the need to reduce personnel costs.
Huai Hsu (懷敘), a section chief at the government agency, said that instead of banning dispatch workers, more focus should be put on protecting the rights and benefits of such workers.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS