The number of furloughed workers in Taiwan jumped by more than 2,000 in the first two weeks of this month as businesses were hurt by a general slowdown caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
As of Sunday, 3,835 workers at 109 companies were on unpaid leave, up from 1,662 workers at 41 businesses as of Feb. 29, ministry figures showed.
Most of the new companies that had workers go on unpaid leave after reaching labor-management agreements had fewer than 50 workers, and they generally had their workers take off five to eight days per month.
Screen grab from Coast Guard Administration’s Facebook page
They were generally in the hotel, restaurant, retail and tourism sectors — those most effected by the outbreak, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Deputy Director Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛) said.
Just over 1,000 workers in the hospitality sector were on unpaid leave in the first two weeks of this month, when 26 retailers, 12 travel agencies, 15 hotels and 11 restaurants launched unpaid leave programs.
However, it was the metal/engineering sector that registered the highest number of furloughed workers in the first two weeks, at 1,491, due to disruptions in supply of components from China, Huang said.
The tourism and restaurant sectors were hit hard by a fall in inbound tourists due to travel bans or restrictions imposed by the government and other countries around the world to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Taiwan requires travelers from dozens of countries where there have been outbreaks to undergo 14-day self-quarantine upon arrival, which has deterred overseas visitors.
In other news, the Coast Guard Administration on March 5 introduced fictional characters belonging to what it calls the “epidemic prevention boy band” (防疫少年團), or “Be The Standby” in English, on Facebook as part of its public awareness efforts to combat COVID-19.
The agency said a staff member came up with the idea, adding that it was inspired by the South Korean boy band BTS.
“Be The Standby” includes characters personifying the Coast Guard Administration, the National Police Agency, the National Immigration Agency, the Customs Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as well as one dressed in protective clothing who represents medical personnel.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS