The legislature yesterday passed the third reading of an amendment to the Public Functionary Service Act (公務員服務法), which specifies the maximum number of working hours for civil servants and relaxes rules regarding work outside of their government jobs.
The Examination Yuan said it proposed the amendment because the content, strictness and scope of regulations concerning public servants needed updating to meet changes in society.
The proposal was in line with Constitutional Judgement No. 785, which sets the maximum number of working hours and states that a shift system should be established to protect public servants’ health and right to hold public offices.
Photo: CNA
Article 4 of the act prohibits public servants from making statements about their duties or on behalf of their agencies or institutions without the permission of their superiors.
The amendment retains those restrictions, but adds that they are also prohibited from making statements about the services provided by their agencies or institutions.
The amendment also stipulates that public servants must adhere to their designated work schedules, and not arrive late or leave early. Total working hours should be eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, and they should take two days off per week.
Working hours can be adjusted as long as public services are not affected, it says.
The regulation applies to the Presidential Office, the National Security Council, authorities of schools at all levels and the Executive Yuan.
Overtime cannot result in a public servant working more than 12 hours per day, and they cannot work more than 60 hours of overtime per month, it says.
However, while engaging in disaster relief, dealing with urgent or sudden incidents or handling special projects, public servants’ maximum overtime working hours can be set by the Presidential Office, the National Security Council or the five branches of government, it says.
Intervals between each shift should be at least 11 hours, but exceptions can be made for special circumstances, it adds.
Public servants cannot engage in outside work that requires additional certification, but can participate in charitable activities and other nonrecurring, noncontinuous work outside their contracted working time as long as their full-time job is not affected, it says.
It also allows public servants to earn money outside of work using their skills, through sale of property, or through use of their intellectual property or portrait rights.
Civil servants’ pursuits outside of work must not tarnish the reputation of public servants or the government, nor obstruct or conflict with their full-time jobs, it adds.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS