A coalition of 28 civic groups yesterday criticized the “disappointing” and indirect responses it received to a gender-equality policy questionnaire from the nation’s major political parties.
The Awakening Foundation, the National Alliance of Taiwan Women’s Associations and other groups early last month submitted the nine-point questionnaire to eight political parties.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) response mainly addressed expansions to its current policies, while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) proposals, on the whole, pose an inadequate challenge to the ruling party, Awakening Foundation chairwoman Chiang Chen-yin (姜貞吟) said.
Photo: CNA
Regarding salaries and work-life balance, the DPP promised to offer more flexible parental leave, paid family care and long-term care leave, and extend the length of paid maternity leave, the groups said.
However, it did not offer specifics on those plans, and did not provide a proposal for reducing overall working hours, they said.
In Taiwan, new mothers can take eight weeks of maternity leave at 100 percent of their insured monthly salary, while new mothers and fathers can take six months of parental leave at 80 percent of their salary before their child turns three.
The government does not guarantee paid family care leave or long-term care leave.
The KMT promised in the survey to offer three-and-a-half days of annual paid family care leave, while the TPP pledged to “increase” family care leave, without specifying the number of days or whether they would be paid, the groups said.
Regarding day care access, the DPP put forth a plan to increase the number of quasi-public and community childcare centers, while the TPP and KMT focused mainly on increasing childcare-related subsidies, Chiang said.
None of the three major parties offered concrete plans to reduce the urban-rural gap in access to childcare, she said.
Regarding a labor shortage at long-term care centers, only the KMT pledged to integrate migrant workers into the system, by gradually allowing government-contracted nursing homes to hire foreign caregivers, Awakening Foundation consultant Lee Shao-fen (李韶芬) said.
In contrast, the DPP focused on finding ways for people caring for elderly family members to continue working, while the TPP proposed expanding direct hiring of home-based foreign caregivers and increasing transparency among labor brokers, Lee said.
The New Power Party, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, the People First Party, the Taiwan Obasang Political Equality Party and the Green Party also responded to the questionnaires, the groups said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese