Both protests and the Cabinet's approval of labor-related legislation marked Labor Day in Taipei yesterday.
The Executive Yuan signed draft amendments to three labor-related laws protecting local workers from being laid off when participating in labor-union activities or because of involvement in labor-management disputes.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The three laws are the Labor Union Law (
The drafts will proceed to the Legislative Yuan for further review and final approval.
Addressing a press conference after the weekly closed-door Cabinet affairs meeting yesterday morning, Cabinet spokesman Chuang Suo-hang (
"It creates a more effective negotiation channel between the employer and the employee," Chuang said. "Besides, it's time to make changes."
At about the same time, some 500 laborers and students gathered in front of Yu Shyi-kun's office and threw paper airplanes at the building, bearing written objections to government labor legislation that they claim is anti-worker.
"The government has no solution for the deteriorating unemployment problem," said Labor Rights Association spokesman Tang Shu. "In Taiwan, someone is losing his job every five minutes."
The nation's jobless rate averaged 5.14 percent in the three months to March, up sharply from 3.66 percent a year earlier.
Wearing red hats and white T-shirts, the demonstrators marched through Taipei chanting "workers are victims regardless of who is in power," "workers have no rice to eat" and "protest against unemployment."
The march ended peacefully at noon at the Presidential Office.
To safeguard workers' rights to join or establish labor unions, the draft amendment to the Labor Union Law would forbid an employer from refusing to hire, laying off, demoting, or decreasing the wages of employees simply because they participate in labor union activities, establish a labor union, or assume a position at a labor union. Nor would an employer be allowed to hamper or confine the establishment or activities of such a union.
Violators could face fines of between NT$50,000 and NT$150,000.
Similarly, to protect the rights of employers, the draft amendment to the Labor Union Law would disallow a union or its members from refusing to negotiate with an employer, unless the union could offer an appropriate reason to justify the move.
Violators could face fines of between NT$50,000 and NT$150,000.
To ensure the rights of a worker in a labor dispute, the draft amendment to the Settlement of Labor Disputes Law stipulates that employers can't shut down their business operations or terminate the labor contract of their employees. Nor could employees stage a strike during the course of a labor dispute.
Violators could face fines of as high as NT$600,000 for an employer, NT$300,000 for a labor union and NT$30,000 for a worker.
The draft amendment to the Collective Agreement Law specifies that neither employers nor employees could refuse the other party's request to negotiate, unless they could offer an appropriate reason to justify the move.
Violators could face fines of between NT$50,000 and NT$150,000.
In addition, the party making the request to negotiate would be required to notify the other party of time and place of the negotiation, the subject and possible solutions of the problem and the number of representatives present.
The other party should respond within 60 days after being notified and start the negotiation process.
Violators could face fines of between NT$50,000 and NT$150,000.
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
MAKING PROGRESS: Officials and industry leaders who participated in a defense forum last month agreed that Taiwan has the capabilities to work with the US, the report said Taiwan’s high-tech defense industry is to enhance collaboration with the US to produce weapons needed for self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) discussed building regional and global industry alliances with US partners at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia held from Sept. 22 to Tuesday last week, the ministry said in the declassified portion of the report. The visit contributed to maintaining bilateral ties, facilitated Taiwan’s efforts to acquire weapons and equipment, and strengthened the resilience of the two nation’s defense industries, it said. Taiwan-US ties
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering
RSS