The Executive Yuan on Thursday approved a number of amendments that would increase the number of days of paid leave for prenatal checkups, while also allowing both parents to take leave at the same time.
A proposed amendment to Article 15 of the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (兩性工作平等法) would increase the number of days of paid leave for prenatal health checks from five to seven.
The Cabinet also proposed amending Article 19 of the act to allow workers at companies with fewer than 30 employees to ask for more flexible working hours to take care of their children.
At present, only workers at companies with 30 or more employees can make such a request.
The Cabinet also proposed removing Article 22 of the act, which stipulates that an employee cannot apply for parental leave without a “justifiable reason” if his or her spouse is unemployed.
This is intended to ensure that both parents share responsibility for taking care of their child or children, the Cabinet said.
The Executive Yuan also proposed deleting Article 19-2 of the Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法), which stipulates that parents cannot take parental leave at the same time and claim part of their salary for the duration of the leave.
To ensure public servants and military personnel enjoy the same treatment, the Cabinet also proposed amending the Act of Assignment for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官任職條), the Act of Military Service for Volunteer Enlisted Soldiers (志願士兵服役條例), the Insurance Act for Military Personnel (軍人保險條例) and the Civil Servant and Teacher Insurance Act (公教人員保險法).
The proposed amendments still have to be approved by the Legislative Yuan to take effect.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the proposed measures would provide a better environment for raising children in Taiwan, which is facing a dwindling birthrate, and are part of government policy approved by the Cabinet in May, which earmarked a NT$9.1 billion (US$325.11 million) budget.
A number of policies that did not require legal revisions were approved and took effect on Thursday, including increasing paid parental leave for up to six months before a child reaches the age of three from 60 percent to 80 percent of the person’s insured salary.
Parents are no longer required to opt for six-month blocks of parental leave, but would be able to apply for one to six months off until a child reaches the age of three.
National Health Insurance coverage for infertility treatment, which was only available to low and middle-income married couples, was also expanded to cover all married couples.
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