The Cabinet on Thursday approved a bill that would require businesses with fewer than five employees to enroll their workers in an occupational accident insurance program, with an estimated 330,000 people expected to gain coverage.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the proposed occupational accident insurance and protection act would not only expand insurance coverage, but also increase payments for workers who are injured on the job.
The proposal would move matters relating to occupational accident insurance outside the jurisdiction of the Labor Insurance Act (勞工保險條例).
The Ministry of Labor said that it would require employers to sign their workers up for the insurance on their first day, regardless of the size of the company.
Current laws only require that firms with five or more workers provide labor insurance, while insurance enrollment is voluntary for companies with fewer than five workers.
Additionally, the plan would allow workers to apply for occupational injury payments, even if their employer failed to properly insure them, by providing a legal mechanism for them to recover the amount that is owed, the ministry said.
The maximum monthly insured salary — which is used to determine benefits — would rise from NT$45,800 to NT$72,800, it said.
This figure would cover about 90 percent of salaries, compared with 73 percent covered by the current maximum, the ministry said.
By contrast, the minimum monthly salary would be NT$24,000, or the minimum wage, eliminating loopholes that allowed insured salaries of some hourly workers to be as low as NT$11,000, the ministry said.
Labor Insurance Department director-general Pai Li-chen (白麗真) said that the proposed coverage expansion would boost the program’s income, allowing it to provide more generous benefits.
Meanwhile, permanent disability benefits, which are calculated based on time spent at a company, would instead be determined based on the severity of a person’s disability, Pai said.
A person who is completely disabled would receive 70 percent of their insured salary, while a person with severe disabilities would receive 50 percent, and a person who is partially disabled would receive 20 percent, she said.
The draft is to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review.
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