The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday resolved to call two extraordinary legislative sessions this month and next month.
The sessions are expected to deal with the confirmations of the Judicial Yuan president and vice president nominees, an amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), budget plans for state-run enterprises and bills for dealing with ill-gotten party assets and promoting transitional justice.
The DPP caucus said it would officially propose the calling of extraordinary sessions on Monday next week, with the first extraordinary session scheduled to take place from Tuesday next week through July 26.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
During the session, the Executive Yuan’s proposed amendments to the Labor Standards Act would be reviewed by the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said.
The committee on Monday passed, without DPP lawmakers, a review of a proposal put forward by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Wu (吳志揚) calling for two fixed days off per week for employees.
The proposal is at odds with the Executive Yuan’s proposal, which calls for “one fixed day off and one flexible day off.”
“The surprise attack [by KMT lawmakers] in the committee was meaningless, as it is destined to be referred for cross-caucus negotiations” rather than sent directly to the general assembly, Ker said yesterday, adding that the Executive Yuan’s proposal would be discussed by the committee on Wednesday next week.
KMT caucus Secretary-General Lin Te-fu (林德福) said the caucus would stand by Wu’s proposal, adding that if the DPP opposes it, “we would put it to a vote [in the general assembly].”
The DPP caucus yesterday convened two cross-caucus negotiations for a bill addressing the KMT’s “ill-gotten” party assets and a bill promoting transitional justice, neither of which were attended by KMT or People First Party (PFP) lawmakers, leading to the postponement of the proceedings.
After the negotiation was postponed, DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), the co-convener of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee where the bill for promoting transitional justice is to be reviewed, said he would continue to call for cross-caucus discussions.
When KMT and PFP lawmakers failed to turn up to a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee to discuss the bill for dealing with ill-gotten party assets, committee co-convener DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that the one-month negotiation period for the bill had already passed, so the legislation can be cleared by the general assembly at any time.
The bill has been placed on Friday’s agenda for a floor meeting of the Procedure Committee, despite the protests of the KMT caucus yesterday.
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