Employers that pay workers less than the minimum wage would face cumulative fines for repeat violations starting on Jan. 1 next year, with fines for listed companies, medical centers and other specified entities set at a minimum of NT$50,000 (US$1,521), the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
The move follows criticism from labor groups over inconsistent penalty standards among local governments, which they said could undermine minimum wage protections.
The ministry said it has revised the guidelines for imposing fines under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and the Minimum Wage Act (最低工資法) to ensure more consistent enforcement nationwide.
The revisions introduce fines that increase with repeated violations and require local authorities to publish their penalty criteria online.
Under the revised guidelines, contraventions of the Minimum Wage Act would be subject to consistent rules for imposing fines.
For specified major entities — including listed and over-the-counter companies, firms with paid-in capital exceeding NT$100 million and medical centers — fines for violations of key labor rules, including minimum wage and working hour requirements, would start at NT$50,000.
Local authorities agreed to use a three-year period when determining how many times an employer had violated the same provision for the purpose of calculating cumulative fines, the ministry said.
Within that period, contraventions of the Labor Standards Act’s basic wage provision and the Minimum Wage Act’s minimum wage provision would be treated as violations of the same provision, it said.
Local governments would be required to publish their fine schedules, showing how penalties increase with repeated violations, on their official Web sites, it added.
Workers who believe their employer is violating the Labor Standards Act or paying less than the minimum wage can file complaints with local labor authorities or call the 1955 labor hotline, the ministry said.
The Taiwan Labour Front on Sept. 16 told reporters at a news conference that employers paying less than the minimum wage faced different penalties depending on the jurisdiction, with some local governments lacking clear guidelines.
It urged the ministry to coordinate with local governments and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to establish consistent enforcement standards.
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