Lawmakers and labor rights advocates in Taipei yesterday called for legislation to ensure that students are educated about labor-related topics before they enter the workplace.
Such education would prevent students from being exploited in internships or cooperative education placements, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said.
Universities should include courses on labor issues as part of the required curriculum, while employers should also receive mandatory labor-related education taught by professionals, she said.
Taiwan is known for many things, such as its National Health Insurance program and its success in containing COVID-19, DPP Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) said.
However, issues such as long working hours, low pay and other work-related problems also exist, he said.
Children should be taught about labor rights and related topics from a young age, he said.
Elementary students in Germany “know what a union is and know how to strike to gain the rights they deserve,” Liu said.
People cannot escape the employer-employee relationship in a capitalist market, he said.
Before legislation is introduced, the ministry could act by requiring employers to attend classes so that they cannot claim ignorance of labor laws when they are penalized for contravening them, Confederation of Taipei Trade Unions vice president Chiu I-kan (邱奕淦) said.
If a bill on labor-related education can be passed in the current legislative term, it would be the “most important [piece of] labor legislation” to be passed during the term, Youth Labor Union 95 representative Cheng Chung-jui (鄭中睿) said.
Many workers are not aware when their legal rights have been breached or, when contraventions occur, they do not know where to seek help, Taiwan Labour Front director of education Yang Shu-wei (楊書瑋) said.
Labor-related education is not just for people to obtain knowledge, it also establishes and communicates social values, he said.
The target audience for labor-related education should be expanded, and a dedicated group should be responsible for researching labor-related education policy and teaching materials, Yang said.
Legislation for labor-related education could help prevent labor disputes, Taipei Doctors’ Union representative Liao Yu-wen (廖郁雯) said.
Many labor disputes originate because employers and employees lack understanding of labor laws, she said.
Giving students correct information while they are still at school would lower the number of labor disputes and the costs involved, she added.
Responsibility should not just fall on the Ministry of Education, Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare general secretary Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said, adding that the Ministry of Labor should also be included in the efforts.
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