A flexible parental leave trial is to begin today at 64 private enterprises and government agencies to encourage more Taiwanese to start families, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
Under the pilot program, participating employers must allow workers parental leave in a maximum of three blocks of five to seven days, the ministry said in guidelines for the program.
Notices for the launch have been given to the participants, which volunteered to be part of the program, it said, adding that it is expected to conclude at the end of this year.
Photo courtesy of the Childcare Policy Alliance
Participating organizations can increase the flexibility of their leave policies, including permitting employees to take single days of leave any number of times, it said.
Businesses and agencies can optionally require employees to submit written notice at least five days before taking parental leave, the ministry said, adding that shorter notice periods are allowed.
Employers are exempt from employee social security payments for the duration of the trial program and participation counts toward receiving labor-friendly designation, which qualifies corporations for government perks, it said.
Eight government agencies and 56 private enterprises volunteered for the trial, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛) said, adding that others that want to join must apply before the end of this month.
Separately yesterday, a coalition of labor and parent groups called for childcare and parental leave reform to bolster female workforce participation and population growth.
Multiple studies conducted in South Korea indicate that better work conditions and family life for married women are key for higher birthrates, Childcare Policy Alliance spokeswoman Huang Chiao-ling (黃喬鈴) told a news conference in Taipei ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel’s reforms in public childcare and parental leave were crucial to that country’s successful bid to get out of its demographic and labor supply doldrums, alliance convenor Liu Yu-shiu (劉毓秀) said.
National Educator and Teacher Union president Chen Hui-ching (陳惠菁) said that 70 percent of the nation’s childcare industry is privatized and the government must create more public care providers for policy changes to be meaningful.
Taiwan Labor Front deputy secretary-general Yang Hsu-wei (楊書瑋) said that international labor rights conventions stipulate that family responsibilities should not be a reason for people to quit their jobs.
Parental leave policies and homecare resources should be provided to working families if the nation is to increase female participation in the workforce, Yang added.
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
An electric bus charging facility at Taipei Metro’s Beitou Depot officially opened yesterday with 22 charging bays to serve the city’s 886 electric buses. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told a ceremony to mark the opening of the facility that the city aims to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2030. The number of electric buses has grown from about 650 last year to 886 this year and is expected to surpass 1,000 by the end of the year, Chiang said. Setting up the charging station in a metro depot optimizes land and energy use, as the metro uses power mainly during the
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Traffic controls are to be in place in Taipei starting tonight, police said, as rallies supporting recall efforts targeting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place tomorrow. Traffic controls are to be in place on City Hall Road starting from 10pm tonight and on Jinan Road Section 1 starting from 8am tomorrow, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei advocating for the recall of KMT legislators, along with the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Alliance (反共護台聯盟), have previously announced plans for motorcycle parades and public
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