Firms that discriminate against job applicants based on their blood type or astrological sign can be fined, the Taipei City Government said on Saturday.
The reminder came after an applicant complained that he was asked his blood type and astrological sign in an interview, Taipei Department of Labor Commissioner Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜) said.
After the applicant told the interviewers, they reportedly said that the firm was looking for “a quiet worker who would not make waves or steal his section supervisor’s thunder,” implying that blood type “O” and a “Leo” sign were not the “right” personality, she said.
The applicant believed that he was not hired because of this, Chen added.
If the firm is found to have contravened Article 5 of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), it could face a fine of up to NT$1.5 million (US$52,700), Chen said.
Article 5 prohibits discriminating against a job applicant or employee based on race, language, religion, gender, age, astrological sign, blood type, marital status or other personal information.
“Some employers have strong views on blood type, astrological sign and similar information, and would check these when filling a job vacancy, instead of considering a candidate’s skills, job experience and track record,” she said.
In 2018, the Ministry of Labor amended the law, adding blood type and astrological sign to Article 5, to prevent companies from discriminating against jobseekers and denying them an open, fair interview process.
“Firms should ignore applicants’ personality traits and personal circumstances that have no bearing on their ability to perform a job,” Chen said, adding that an investigation is under way.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS