Labor activists expressed concern yesterday that revised regulations on working hours and nighttime work for women would result in poorer working conditions yesterday.
The Council of Labor Affairs concluded drafting amendments to labor laws on Monday, to put into effect proposals adopted by the Economic Development Advisory Conference's plenary session last weekend.
In accordance with conference resolutions, the council's draft says that if a worker has a day off every week and does not work more than 12 hours a day, his total annual work hours may be compressed into peak periods when the employer needs intensive labor. In order to proceed with a compressed schedule, a company must obtain an agreement from its union or a majority of its workers.
Overtime should be paid if the employee works over 48 hours a week. The compensation for such extreme flexibility on work hours is that workers will enjoy a reduction in total annual work hours, which will be calculated on the basis of an average 40-hour week, rather than the 84-hour fortnight.
But labor activists object.
"The conference's consensus gave too much power to employers," said Tang Shu (唐曙) from the Labor Rights Association, who strongly opposes allowing employers to further erode the 84-work-hours-per-fortnight stipulated by law.
"Longer work hours and insufficient rest leads to higher risk of occupational accidents," said Chuang Miao-tze (莊妙慈), secretary-general of the Committee for Action for Labor Legislation. "Besides, Taiwan's unions are simply too weak to negotiate with employers."
Labor activists said employees without a union will be forced to agree with the employer's decision.
Not all workers are able to belong to unions. The Labor Union Law says companies with over 30 employees are obliged to have unions.
Only 39 percent of local businesses have unions, said Yang Shi-shang (
Moreover, Pai Cheng-hsieng (白政憲), a labor activist and one of the few labor participants at the conference, said employers oppress unions and "punish" employees who form them.
Labor activists said workers would be forced to accept the proposed arrangement, which would have a negative impact on family life, especially since the Executive Yuan -- though not yet the Legislative Yuan -- has approved an amendment to the Union Law, which grants workers the right to choose whether to join the company's union.
Current regulations stipulate that workers are obliged to join the union if the company has one.
Chuang said he is afraid that workers would fear employers' retaliation for union membership.
In addition, some labor activists are upset over the draft law's relaxation of restrictions preventing females from working between 10pm and 6am, except in certain industries.
The draft simply stipulates that pregnant women and women nursing babies will not be allowed to work between those hours.
Labor activists said the change simply allows employers to exploit cheap labor, although some female activists welcomed it as the current restriction prevents women from being accepted for night-shift work.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS