The Cabinet yesterday passed a draft amendment that would allow five types of public servants to form “special associations” amid calls to allow unionization following a deadly fire last month.
The amendment would allow firefighters to form separate groups from police as current law requires.
The amendment, if passed, would allow five types of public servants — judicial officials, accountants, customs officers, police and medical personnel — to form such associations.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
According to the amendment, the associations would fall under the same law’s authority.
The Ministry of Civil Service would be responsible for reviewing and approving applications for the formation of special associations if there seems to be a discrepancy between the actual work being conducted and the professional nature of the job.
For example, firefighters and police officers both observe the Police Personnel Management Act (警察人員人事條例), even though their professions are different, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration General Planning Division Director Chou Wei-ting (周威廷) said.
The amendment also states that the formation of special agency-specific associations at Category 3 government agencies would require a minimum of 200 members, while special associations for the five types of public servants would need at least 400.
The number of people required to form special agency-specific associations under the central government and in municipalities would also be reduced from 800 to 400.
As for criticism that the threshold was too high, Chou said that public servants eligible to form special associations numbered 3,800 or above, adding that firefighters had an even higher headcount nationwide.
Chou said that the agency set a threshold to ensure that the groups would be proportionate enough to represent their vocation’s collective views while reasonably relaxing restrictions.
The amendment would allow special associations to make suggestions or attend committees, bodies or meetings, as long as the issues discussed pertain to the interest of its members.
It would also set standards on performance evaluations, and special associations could negotiate with local authorities regarding training, further education, and assistance for employee mental and physical health.
Negotiations would see certain constraints imposed, preventing the government from holding endless meetings, Chou said, adding that other measures are being introduced to ensure that the special associations could uphold the rights of their members.
Separately, Executive Yuan spokesman Lin Tzu-lun (林子倫) quoted Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) as saying that the amendment was introduced in response to labor trends and demands, and the government hoped that the introduction of special associations would maintain amity between the government and public servants.
Additional reporting by CNA
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS