President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that the government would continue to see to the needs of workers and improve the protection of their rights. He added, however, that Taiwan's future would not only depend on the toil and diligence of workers, but also on their innovation and knowledge.
Chen made the remarks on the eve of Labor Day, as he received individuals selected as this year's national "exemplary workers."
The president said that work is important because it is a basic human right, and that, through work, people acquire the resour-ces to survive and raise subsequent generations.
The administration has vigorously promoted the protection of human rights and has launched proposals to amend various labor laws -- and this constitutes a major step toward further buttressing workers' rights, Chen said.
Facing the trends of globalization and the knowledge-based economy, Chen continued, the government must accelerate its efforts to keep pace with the changes and upgrade the nation's industrial structure in order to boost Taiwan's competitiveness. An increase in the knowledge of all workers would be necessary for such a change to take place, he added.
Chen said that the Council of Labor Affairs is working to nurture a "prepared labor force" through knowledge-based-economy education, vocational training and employment services. He added that related mechanisms, such as social insurance and unemployment benefits are also being strengthened to build a comprehensive job-safety net.
Responding to the issues of the middle-age unemployed, work accidents, labor-safety education and foreign laborers -- issues raised by those in attendance at the event -- the president said that the government needs to assess its performance in such areas and continue to improve, despite having already pushed through several labor-related laws.
Regarding the issue of foreign workers, Chen said that the priority must be to take care of domestic workers. Although the number of foreign laborers in Taiwan cannot be reduced to zero immediately, he went on, it has steadily decreased over the years.
Meanwhile, at a separate occasion to mark the upcoming Labor Day today, a group of DPP legislators yesterday proposed an amendment to a draft bill for retirement funds that would scrap the original three-option version in favor of a single-option version that would be applicable to an additional 4 million workers.
The lawmakers said that the original version only covered the 5 million workers who had full-time employment with definite employers, while those who worked part-time for indefinite employers were "unfairly" excluded.
The new version will allow "anyone who contributes his/her labor to the service of society" to enjoy the benefits of a retirement system that can later be turned into a national annuity system, the lawmakers said.
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