It is necessary to revise the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), as last year’s amendment has had a negative effect on salaries, with about 11 percent of employees planning to seek part-time work to earn extra income, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
The “one fixed day off and one rest day” workweek scheme, promulgated in December last year, has negatively affected 19 percent of the workforce, Lai said during an interview, adding that among them, 60 percent want to work part-time to earn extra income.
Businesses have either downsized or hired part-time employees due to overtime restrictions and there are even agencies helping businesses recruit employees from other firms to help with overtime demand, Lai said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“We need to propose solutions to these problems,” he said.
While some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have opposed a draft amendment proposed by the Cabinet, Lai said that all lawmakers — including DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬), who has vehemently opposed the latest proposal — must have heard complaints about the lack of workweek flexibility from employers and employees alike.
Lin said he was “surprised” by the failure of the DPP caucus to pass the amendment on Nov. 23 during a legislative committee review, adding that the Cabinet cannot set the timetable for the legislation, as it falls under the legislature’s authority.
While the Cabinet’s amendment would exempt some industries from increasing the minimum rest time between shifts from eight to 11 hours, the DPP caucus is planning to refine the clause with a screening mechanism to protect workers.
Lai said he would not oppose the DPP’s modification, because the principle of the proposal would be kept intact.
He added that he would exercise more discretion when negotiating with lawmakers, following controversial exchanges last month with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), in which he asked Chiang not to require Minister of Labor Lin Mei-chu (林美珠) to attend a legislative meeting and debated with Huang over legislative rules.
Some criticized Lai for attempting to influence the legislature, while Lai said it was natural for Cabinet members to interact with lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Lai said he appreciated the creativity of the protests against the amendment and himself, adding that he would not ask the police to press charges against protesters who put stickers on bus stops and street signs.
He said he did not regret the amendment despite the protests, as it was part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) instructions to him upon assuming the premiership.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
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
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS