Two saleswomen yesterday accused SOGO Department Store of imposing unreasonable restrictions on its employees, such as forbidding them from sitting down or drinking water during work hours, in contravention of workers’ rights.
At a news conference, Taipei City Councilor Hsieh Wei-chou (謝維洲) of the Democratic Progressive Party displayed a list of the store’s regulations, which state salespersons are not allowed to drink water, eat, sit or squat.
Salespeople are required to remain standing at all times or be fined NT$500 each time they break the rule, according to the list.
A woman surnamed Chang (張) told the press conference that when she was working at SOGO’s Tianmu store in Taipei as a salesperson in a clothing section, her shifts lasted 11 hours a day and she was not allowed to sit down or squat. The long hours of standing gave her varicose veins, plantar fasciitis and herniated disks, Chang said, adding that she resigned after four months.
Since Chang left, the situation at the Tianmu store has not changed, according to a saleswoman surnamed Wu, who said that she was still employed there.
Lee Chin-chin (李進欽), a section chief at the Taipei Department of Labor, said that although salespeople are hired by the various retailers who have outlets in department stores, the workers are under the direct supervision of the department stores, which should safeguard the health of their workers. Lee said stores that fail to provide chairs for their workers will be given notice to do so, or face a fine of up to NT$150,000.
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