Although amendments to national holidays are being considered, 115 to 116 days off per year are already mandated in accordance with existing guidelines, with public and private sector leave entitlements gradually becoming aligned, the Ministry of the Interior said today.
The ministry was responding to a call by the National Federation of Teachers Unions and cross-party legislators on Friday last week for the government to designate Labor Day on May 1 and Teachers’ Day on Sept. 28 as official national holidays.
All citizens currently receive 11 public holidays per year, consisting of eight one-day holidays and the three-day break for Lunar New Year, which, when combined with weekends, results in a total of 115 to 116 days off per year, the ministry said in a news release.
Photo: CNA
This aligns with labor guidelines set by the Legislative Yuan in 2000, the 40-hour, five-day workweek for civil servants set in 2001 and an amendment to Article 11 of Civil Servant Services Act (公務員服務法) in 2000 requiring the retention of traditional holidays as public holidays, but changing certain public holidays to observances to ensure the total number of days off remains between 115 and 116 for civil servants, it said.
Moreover, in 2014, the Ministry of Labor amended the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法) to ensure that when a public holiday falls on a rest day, a substitute day off would be provided, it said.
Further amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) in 2016 required all workers to have two days off per week, one fixed and one flexible, meaning that the number of rest days for civil servants and workers has actually been gradually aligning, the ministry said.
The government would continue gathering public opinion and working toward a consensus, it said.
However, the current guidelines reflect a long-standing agreement between the government and businesses, and many complex issues with varying public opinions remain, it added.
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