The Ministry of Labor has defined companies’ year-end banquets as an extracurricular activity that employees are not required to attend ,and said that workers assigned to organize weiyas (尾牙) are entitled to overtime pay if their duties extend beyond work hours.
A weiya is an annual year-end banquet that is traditionally held ahead of the Lunar New Year as a way for employers to show their appreciation for their employees and is an opportunity for companies to improve the employee-employer relationship. The year-end banquet is a tradition in Taiwan.
“A weiya is a joyful celebration in which workers can participate freely,” the ministry said. “No one is obliged to attend the banquet. It is an extracurricular activity, so there is no issue of overtime pay.”
This year’s weiya season is entering its peak this week, with less then three weeks until Lunar New Year’s Day on Jan. 28.
A Chinese-language United Daily News report yesterday quoted ministry officials as saying that employees assigned to help organize their company’s year-end banquet would be entitled to overtime pay if their duties extend beyond work hours, or to compensatory time off if they work on a government-designated rest day.
Employers who demand that their staff attend the banquet or force their workers to apply for leave if they cannot attend would be fined between NT$20,000 and NT$1 million (US$625 to US$31,257), a ministry official was quoted as saying in the report, citing new labor regulations.
In cases where the banquet is held during regular work hours, employees who choose not to attend should remain at their workplace, the official said.
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